On Love and Separation
by Gilana1
Summary: [Missing Scenes Part 10] Viktor and Yuuri revel in the aftermath of the Grand Prix Final, but it is short-lived. Their decisions force them to separate as they both lead up to Nationals. They must learn to deal with the separation as they prepare for Nationals, where everyone has something to prove. Missing/Extended Scene. Rating for mild language, sexual content.
1. Chapter 1 - Light of Love

**A/n:** Thanks to my betas/prereaders - Mae_Cruz, Lady Eve and sklya2010star. This is an extended/missing scene of Episode 12 - starting from the end of the free skate at the Grand Prix Final and continuing until Yuuri and Viktor's reunion in St. Petersburg after Nationals in the last scene. As such, this is multi-chapter, not a one-shot like the others as I decided to split it up.

 **Chapter One - Light of Love**

Yuuri and Viktor sat on the floor next to the rink, embracing for a bit before they got up. Yuuri couldn't remember ever being this happy. He had convinced himself over the past several months that he and Viktor's relationship had an expiration date, regardless of them getting engaged a few days prior. Now, he was finally starting to see that _no matter what_ they were going to make it _work._ This was _real_. They were in it for the long haul, and _nothing_ was going to stop them. It was an intoxicating feeling, to say the least.

"You need to get to the press conference," Viktor told him with a smile.

"Mmm, yes, I do," he said. "See you afterward?"

"Of course, _lyubov moya_ ," he said, leaning in for a brief kiss. Yuuri desperately wanted so much to melt into him, but he knew better. He had to go to the press conference, and he and Viktor had a tendency to get carried away once they got started.

Reluctantly, Yuuri headed for the press conference, filing in next to Yurio and JJ. The flash of the cameras would probably always bother him, and he wasn't sure he would ever feel truly comfortable here. During the press conference, all three of them got their fair share of questions. Yurio was asked if this added extra pressure on him with Russian Nationals coming up soon, and the teenager scoffed, saying that he knew exactly what he needed to do, and he was not afraid. Yuuri was asked a very similar question, although the reporter had to point out "after placing eleventh last year." As if he needed to be reminded about that.

"I let my fears and anxieties get the better of me last year, and I won't make that mistake again," he responded. "I want my national title back." Yuuri had won two consecutive national titles, in the Olympic season and the post-Olympic season. Last year, though, had been nothing less than disastrous. It had been the lowest scoring Nationals in several years, and Yuuri partially blamed himself for that. Two of the other top medal contenders - Tanaka Takahiro and Himura Daisuke - had both withdrawn due to injury. With him crashing and burning, it had taken the air out of the competition, so to speak.

Tanaka had been awarded a spot on the World team that he had petitioned for, and been sent there along with Minami. However, the two of them couldn't place high enough, and Japan had lost their second spot. Now there was only one spot, which meant that he had to win Japanese Nationals to have a good chance at being sent to Worlds. Yes, it was possible that they could send him by virtue of his better Grand Prix results, but he would consider it a personal failure - especially after last year - if he did anything less than win. Particularly after what happened last year.

Besides that, he wanted to gain back Japan's three spots at Worlds - and that meant going and placing in the top two, as that was the only way for a single skater to gain three spots for their country. He wanted to do it. He _would_ do it. Viktor believed in him, and that meant the world to him. That was all he needed, was to know that the man he loved thought he could do anything. It didn't mean that his anxieties were gone, far from it, but it meant that he had someone to help him when it all became too much.

Yuuri had been so lost in thought that he had nearly missed his next question. A reporter asked him - and it was apparently similar to a question Yurio had just been asked, not that he had been paying attention to that, of course - how it felt to beat Viktor's world record and if he felt that put extra pressure on him. "Of course it does," he said, "but I'm learning to deal with the pressure." He touched the gold ring that sat on his finger. "It means I'll have to do better to prove that I deserve this."

JJ got asked the next question - if he felt this was a disappointment since he had talked about winning the entire season. "Sure, of course, but I think it sets me up very well for the rest of the season," he said. "I mean, I have the second highest free skate score of the season, and I'm thinking about adding a fifth quad to my free skate." He shrugged his shoulders. "I have time until Canadian Nationals next month, but it's all worked out, and I'm happy to win a second straight bronze. Next year, it will be Gold, though, I promise. It's JJ style!"

Yuuri resisted the urge to roll his eyes as the press conference went on. He dodged personal questions about him and Viktor before the final question went to Yurio. After that, he was never so glad to be done with it all. This was the end of the competition all together, as the Men's Free had the been final set of free skates performed. Three out of the four competitions in the Junior division had been won by Russians, and with two of the four medals in the senior division going to Russians, it had a lot of people talking about the future of Russian figure skating - with or without Viktor in the lineup.

It was no secret that Viktor's age meant that - no matter how brilliant he was - his days were numbered. This Grand Prix was showing the world - or at least that's what people were saying - that there was a future in figure skating, even after the legend was done competing. Yurio was proof of that, as was the other talented up-and-coming Russian skaters.

The Junior Men's event had been won by 16-year-old Maxim Ivanov, while the ladies event had been won by Roslava Sokolova, who wouldn't be old enough to compete on the senior circuit for two more years. The pairs event had been won by Sofia Glebova and Vladimir Turov. The Ice Dance event was the only event not won by a Russian, and it had been won by Americans Lauren Jackson and Michael Roberts.

The Senior ladies event had been the other senior event to be won by a Russian, and in fact, the Russians had gone 1-2. A young Russian named Tatiyana Demidova had won the event, with Mila taking second. Sara had edged out for the bronze over reigning silver medalist, Akane Yamada of Japan. The pairs event had been won by Canadians and reigning World Champions, Erica Leewald and John Zane. A Chinese pair, and reigning World Silver medalists, Wang Xialng and Zhong Lei, had won the silver with Ekaterina Vasiliyeva and Dmitri Sedov of Russia taking the bronze.

The Ice Dance event had been won by American siblings Charlene and Chris Ishikawa in what had been a near tie with two other teams - just .05 ahead of Canadians Natalie Ringwald and Sean Chevalier, who had only been about half a point ahead of reigning World Champions, Annette Moreau and Lucien Lepage of France. It had been a wonderful and intense competition in all disciplines. He hadn't seen as much of the other competitions as he would have liked since he had been competing himself, but he and Viktor had caught what they could. Right now, though, Yuuri was done. He wanted to go to Viktor, and that was the only thing that he wanted, especially after their intense argument last night.

A lot had been said. Viktor had called Yuuri selfish for making the decision to retire, while Yuuri had said the same thing about Viktor for making the _exact same decision_ also without consulting him. Viktor had turned around and said that he had done that _for him_ because he _loved_ him and wanted to be with him. Yuuri had pointed out that he didn't want Viktor to sacrifice what was left of his career because it was what Yuuri needed, and he was also doing this because he loved him and felt it was what was best for him.

After some more yelling and crying, they had decided to make their own decisions after the free skate. They had done that, with Yuuri deciding not to retire and asking Viktor to stay with him. Viktor said he was still going to coach him while going back to competition, but asked for five World golds in return. Yuuri knew it hadn't been serious, but knew it for what it was - they were going to stay together, no matter what, the two of them were going to make it work.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Yuuri made his way outside, to find his fiance there waiting for him. _Fiance…_ That word made his heart skip a few beats every time it came to mind, and he still couldn't believe that it was a reality. Viktor didn't notice him at first and was signing a few autographs. The one thing that Yuuri _did_ notice was the Russian was merely being polite and charming; there was no flirting like there had been last time he had signed autographs for those three school girls while they had been going to the rink almost two months ago, after the Cup of China.

It made Yuuri's heart soar that Viktor had _remembered_ that it had upset him, and was striving to not be a flirt with his fans anymore now that they were together. Of course, Yuuri realized that it was a bit ridiculous to be jealous of those fans, but it still meant a lot. As soon as Viktor finished, he turned around and spotted Yuuri. Immediately, he watched his fiance break out into a _true_ smile. Yuuri walked over to him and wrapped his arms around him as Viktor did the same. "How was the interview?" he asked.

"Fine," Yuuri responded. "They asked about Nationals, and about you - they always ask about you, about us."

"Did you say we were engaged?"

Yuuri shook his head. "No," he said. "Right now, I just want it to be just for us, you know? Before we tell the whole world."

Viktor gave him a soft kiss on the lips. "That is fine with me, my lovely fiance." At hearing that word come out of his mouth - the first time either of them had said it out loud - Yuuri nearly broke down into tears over the sheer happiness of the situation. He leaned forward, eagerly kissing Viktor on the lips. The Russian looked taken aback for a moment before he almost seemed to melt into Yuuri's kiss before slowly pulling away. "What was that for?"

"Just hearing you say that - my fiance - I just… I just had to."

Viktor smiled down at him. "Well, you are, aren't you? I mean, we _are_ engaged, right?"

Yuuri smiled back at him. "Yes, we absolutely are." He had convinced himself that this couldn't happen, and part of him still marveled that he had somehow actually managed to get Viktor Nikiforov to fall in love with him and want to marry him, but here it was. Everything would just have to work itself out because, in his opinion, the only thing that could have made this better was if he had won gold. Getting Viktor, though, was even better than that.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

They made their way back to the hotel after that, and soon as they had taken their jackets off, Viktor had taken Yuuri into his arms. "I need to get my costume off," Yuuri told him, smiling up at him as he wrapped his arms around him. He still wished that he had won, because _damn it,_ he really wanted to. However, it was hard to be upset about anything when he was engaged to the man of his dreams. It had been so fucking close, though, the slimmest of margins. That almost made it worse - almost.

"Mmm, that's true, but I couldn't help myself," Viktor said, before leaning in to give him a kiss on the lips. The kiss was brief, though, before he broke it. "Especially since we'll be busy when we get back home since we're moving to Russia." The words took Yuuri aback. Moving? Since when were they moving? Viktor must have seen the confusion on his face because he continued speaking to clarify. "Well, Yakov is my coach, and he is in St. Petersburg, so I need to be there. I am _your_ coach - and your fiance - so _you_ need to be with _me._ Therefore, it is logical that we move."

Yuuri smiled up at Viktor. "Yes, then, we're moving." He found it hard to be scared by the thought of moving twice in one year, and this time to a country whose language he didn't speak. He was with Viktor, and that made everything seem better. He was sure he would feel fear and anxiety from it later, but for the moment, Yuuri felt nothing but joy.

Suddenly, Viktor groaned. "What?" Yuuri asked him.

"I forgot, you can't move to Russia, not yet," he said. "You will need to get your visa before you can do that." The Russian gave Yuuri a sad smile. "That means you need to stay in Japan, at least until after Nationals."

A wave of fear rushed through Yuuri. "Wait, but…" He tried to think of a reason, something that would mean Viktor not going to Russia and leaving him behind in Japan. "Last time we were separated was only a for a few days, and didn't go well for either of us."

"I know, but I have to go, and by the time your visa comes in, you'll basically have to turn around and come back to Japan, so you should say there." Viktor tightened his hold on Yuuri, touching their foreheads together. "I don't like it any more than you do, but you have to admit, it makes sense, regardless of how much both of us might hate it."

Viktor pressed a soft kiss to Yuuri's lips, but it did nothing to dissuade his fears. He had been so happy just a moment ago. How was he going to live for _three weeks_ without Viktor? "I have nothing but faith in you, my Yuuri," Viktor told him. "I will call you so much that you will be sick of me."

Yuuri gave him a small, sad smile back as he leaned into him. "I don't think that's possible."

Viktor covered Yuri's lips with his own, and Yuuri desperately wanted to melt into him and forget that they were going to be separated, and for a much longer period this time. However, his fiance quickly pulled back; Yuuri let out a moan of disappointment. "Hold on, _lyubov moya_ , I need to make a quick phone call," he said, slowly letting go of him and going to pick up his phone.

Viktor quickly dialed a phone number and started rattling in Russian to whoever was on the other end. He seemed to be apologizing at first by the tone of his voice - and understandably so, as it was two in the morning over in Russia - before continuing to speak. The only words he understood were "Da," "Nyet," "Katrina" - who was she, by the way? - and "spasibo." The conversation went on for a couple of minutes as Viktor seemed to be describing something to the woman on the other end before he said thank you again and ended the phone call.

"Sorry about that," he said. "That was my costume designer, Katrina. I told her I need two new costumes before Russian Nationals. She told me I was crazy. I told her I'd pay her a rush fee for having to do them so quickly, and she agreed she'd have them done by the time I leave for Russian Nationals." Viktor walked over, taking Yuuri into his arms again.

"What are they going to look like?" Yuuri asked, as wrapped his arms around Viktor once more; he hadn't heard anything about his programs, and now that he'd thought about it, he was quite curious how he would know what costumes he would need unless he had already done the music. "What is your music going to be?"

"I had my composer, Dmitri, adapt the free skate music I was going to use into music for a short program, and I had new music done for my free," Viktor explained. "I did this months ago, as I didn't know at the time what I was going to do, and I could use the music for anything if I _did_ decide to retire." He gave a shrug. "I'll let you listen to them later, but the costumes are a surprise." Viktor then gave Yuuri a look, one that said everything he wanted to do to him right now. "Now, where were we?"

He leaned in, and Yuuri desperately wanted to let Viktor have his way with him, but he still needed to say something first. "Before we go any farther and I forget what I want to say," Yuuri said, stopping Viktor when his lips were just mere centimeters from Yuuri's own,"I just…" He took a deep breath, trying to steel his nerves and emotions. "I - I'm sorry. I am _so_ sorry, about the other day."

Viktor had pulled back, and had looked a bit confused at first before Yuuri had said "the other day." A smile crossed the Russian's face. "It's fine, really."

"No, it's not. I _hurt_ you. I just - let me finish, please." He had seen Viktor about to speak, but Yuuri wanted to get this out while he still had the will. "I just… I convinced myself from the beginning, and especially over the past few months that there was no way that this would work. No matter how good things seemed, and no matter how much we were in love, I just… I just told myself that there was no way that I would be allowed to keep you."

Viktor smiled down at him, and Yuuri continued speaking while he had the chance. "I just… so I'm sorry about that, I really am," he said. "I realize now that… I _can_ keep you, that we're in it together."

"Yes, _lyubov moya_ and nothing is going to tear us apart," he said. "I thought you knew that there was no way I could ever leave you. Now I desperately need to kiss you." Before Yuuri had a chance to argue, Viktor leaned forward again, capturing Yuuri's lips in an intense, passionate kiss. Yuuri soon forgot about everything else but his fiance, as all his worries were drowned away by the feeling of Viktor's lips on his, and his body up against his own.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Sadly, they couldn't spend all day in bed the next day like Yuuri would have liked because he had the practice for the Exhibition Gala that morning, the Gala that afternoon, and the banquet that night. Therefore, after thoroughly enjoying each other that morning, they took a shower and then headed downstairs for a light breakfast. No one knew that Viktor was joining him for his exhibition. Though he figured that Yuuko and Nishigori had seen them at some point, they hadn't told anyone. It was a closely guarded secret, and Yuuri knew that social media was likely to blow up after this afternoon when they skated. It honestly made him feel a bit anxious, no matter much he was looking forward to skating with Viktor again.

Yuuri was sure that he would be affected by the crowd as soon as Viktor skated on the ice with him. He had never skated this program, with Viktor, with an audience before, and the cheers were likely to be deafening. He was, after all, the sport's biggest star and no one knew that he was going to be joining him. However, as soon as the Russian skated up to him, it was like the entire world around them just ceased to exist. All he knew was Viktor, the two of them skating together just like they were in practice. He couldn't remember being this happy. He was skating with Viktor, on the same ice, and it was going better than he could have imagined.

The ending pose came quicker than Yuuri would have liked, as he wanted to stay right here with Viktor for as long as possible. They had gone over what to make the ending pose several times. They had both agreed that it was best to change it, and had finally decided that they would end the program with Viktor having Yuuri in a dip. It had taken them days after they had gotten to the end of the program to decide on it. Who should dip who? Should there be a dip? Was there another way to end the program, a better way? Viktor admitted that he hadn't thought about how to end it; he had just been too excited about the idea, and being able to do it together.

Yuuri was happy with the ending, though. As he was there, gazing up at Viktor, the world seemed to come into focus again. He had been right - the crowd was going wild. Viktor lifted him gently up so that he was standing again, and Yuuri knew that the smile on his fiance's face must echo the one on his own. He knew they had to get off the ice, but before either of them could move, they were leaning towards each other and kissing. This was probably not the wisest idea considering social media, and the kiss was brief, but Yuuri didn't care. He had Viktor; he was too happy to care.

The two of them did their bows, and then made their way off the ice. "That was a perfect Quad Lutz, Yuuri," Viktor told him. "When did you learn to do that?" Yuuri glanced over at him as they put on their skate guards, and saw a smirk on the Russian's lips.

"I told you when we first started training together that I wanted to learn all your jumps," Yuuri said as they made their way backstage. He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not really sure when it happened. I've tried it before, you know when you're not looking."

Viktor smiled at him. "Yes, I know, and I always told you not to. It's not necessary, and it's risky."

"You can do it, so I wanted to be able to do it, too," Yuuri responded, knowing that Viktor was just teasing him a little, and not taking it personally. "I told myself I would do it, and so I kept trying. I guess it must have clicked somehow." He wanted to be Viktor's equal, and while had gone a long way to to do that, he didn't feel he was quite there yet. His shorts weren't up to par yet, but now he could do all of Viktor's jumps, minus the Quad Loop which he had never done in competition and had only done in last year's exhibition at Worlds.

Yuuri's phone was going off right now, and he knew who it was - family and friends expressing their shock and surprise at the pairs skate. He ignored it. Right now, though, he just wanted to be with Viktor, knowing that the bubble that they were in at the moment wasn't going to last.


	2. Chapter 2 - Beginnings and Endings

**Chapter Two - Beginnings and Endings**

Yuri's plane left in a few hours, and he was downstairs to get breakfast. Viktor and the katsudon weren't there yet, and that was fine. They were a bit too lovey and disgusting, so he didn't mind that they weren't here. It was okay to have breakfast by himself. That is until he spotted Otabek with a suitcase, heading towards the entrance. Immediately, all thoughts of food were forgotten. "Otabek!" he cried out.

The older boy turned. "Oh, Yuri," he said. "Sorry, I didn't see you. I woke up a bit late, and I need to head the airport." He paused for a second before continuing. "I was thinking we could have breakfast together since we won't see each other again until Worlds."

"Next time, then," said Yuri quickly, though he was immediately disappointed on missing out on seeing Otabek again before he left. Worlds seemed so long away now. "It's only a few months, right?"

Otabek nodded, and he could never read his expressions. The older boy was so stoic. Perhaps he would get better at reading him as time went on, but he wasn't sure how these things were supposed to work. He had never had a friend before, not really. The only thing that had even come close was those he had trained with over the years, but he didn't count that. It wasn't the same thing.

For a moment, the two of them stood there, as if both of them were unsure of what to say. "If I was staying an extra day, we could hang out again," Otabek offered, "but I'm not. If you want, I'll call you or text you when I land in Almaty."

A smile crossed Yuri's face. "I'd like that," he said.

The moment was immediately interrupted by the sound of Yakov's voice coming up from behind them. "Yura! You need to eat and get your stuff packed! Our plane leaves in a few hours."

"I'm already packed, old man, get off my back," Yuri said, less upset by Yakov himself and more about the moment being interrupted as Yakov and Lilia came up to them. "Oh, um, you know Otabek, right? Otabek, this is my coach, Yakov, and my choreographer, Lilia."

Lilia always looked cold, but Yakov seemed a bit more distant than usual. Yuri wondered what was that about, but couldn't be bothered to care right now. Both nodded at the Kazakh. "Nice to meet you both," Otabek said politely. "I do have to go, though. I will call you later." They shared a smile, and then, Otabek left. They would be talking soon, so that was something. The only thing that he could think of right now was that he couldn't wait until Worlds. He wasn't used to feeling like this, but he had been very disappointed to not have a chance to talk to Otabek again before he left. He shouldn't be, though. They had just met a few days before, but he had wanted to talk to him every chance that he got.

Maybe that's what friendship was like. Yuri had no idea.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Many hours later, or so it seemed, Yuri was finally back home in St. Petersburg. He wished, at times like this, that he didn't have to go home with Yakov and Lilia. They were his coach and his choreographer. He appreciated no longer having to live at the training center at the rink. It was nice being able to leave the rink every night, but at the same time, it would be nice to have some space from them, too. Nonetheless, he was stuck with them for the time being. His mind drifted to the key that sat in the bedside table of his bedroom, but he quickly squashed that. It wasn't his key, not really.

Grabbing his phone out of his pocket as they headed out of the terminal and towards the baggage claim, he saw a missed call from Otabek. There was no message, but there was a text: _You probably haven't landed yet. I didn't think about that when I asked to call you earlier. Text me when you land. Talk to you later._ Yuri couldn't wipe the smile off his face. He could have ignored him, but he hadn't. He had left him a message.

Yuri couldn't click the reply button fast enough. _I just landed, and I didn't think about that either._ He'd probably be asleep now; maybe he should text him the morning. On the other hand, the older boy had told him to text him, so obviously it was okay. Besides, it didn't mean that he had to text back right away. He sent the message, his heart beating a little faster, hoping that he hadn't woken him up or anything.

"Who are you texting?" Yakov asked as they reached the baggage claim.

"None of your business, old man," Yuri said as his phone buzzed.

It was Otabek. _Hope your flight went well._

 _It did. Did I wake you?_ Yuri responded. He wasn't sure why he was asking, but he had sent the text faster that he could stop himself.

 _No, I was still awake. Just about to head to bed when you texted me._ It made Yuri feel better that he hadn't woken him up. The last thing he needed was to piss off the first friend he'd ever had by waking him up. That was one of Yuri's pet peeves, to get a phone call just as he was drifting off.

 _I'm glad. I'll let you get to sleep, though._ A moment, later, Otabek responded. _Goodnight, Yura. I'll talk to you tomorrow._

A smile crossed Yuri's face at the nickname. The only other people who ever used them were Yakov and his grandfather. _Night, Beka_ , he texted in response. Maybe this friend thing would work out, after all.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Like Yuuri had thought, their bubble popped quickly. Within a couple of days, they were home. After the Gala, they had the banquet where it had taken a lot to not have Viktor get drunk - and to not have Viktor get _him_ drunk. Especially after what happened last year, Yuuri did not want to get drunk in public ever again. The Russian had been a bit disappointed, but they had plenty of fun all of the same.

The moment they arrived home, both Yuuri and Viktor were immediately greeted by his parents. Both bombarded them with questions. Finally, they slowed down, and his mother asked to see the rings. After she examined them, she immediately asked when the wedding was. Yuuri was taken aback. "We - we haven't discussed it," he said because it hadn't occurred to him that they would need to set a _date_ at some point. He had just been so happy that they were together that nothing else had really occurred to him. "We've only been engaged for less than a week."

Viktor caught his eye, and he turned to see a questioning look in his eyes. "Oh, she had asked when the wedding was," Yuuri explained.

Viktor nodded. "That's what I thought she was asking about," he said before switching to his rough, broken Japanese and turning back to Yuuri's parents. "You should know - we are moving."

Looks of surprise crossed his parent's faces, and they both turned to look at Yuuri, hoping that they had heard him wrong. Yuuri gave a sad smile. "No, it's true, we are," he said. "Viktor is leaving as soon as possible, as his coach, Yakov, is in Russia and with Nationals coming up, he needs to be, too." He felt a rush of emotions come over him. Saying it out loud made everything so much more real. "I'll follow later, after Nationals."

"Where are you going to live?" His father asked.

"My apartment," Viktor answered. "I still have it so, we will live there."

"Well, of course, we are a bit disappointed to be losing our Yuuri again, to be losing both of you," his mother answered, "but we understand." She gave both of them a soft smile.

"I'll make sure he visits more often," Viktor said, smiling back down at her. "I promise." His parents accepted that, and finally, let the two of them go to get some sleep after the long flight. Yuuri's mind was reeling, though. They had only had a couple of days, and then Viktor was leaving. They would be a busy few days. It wasn't the right time to discuss getting married, when that would happen, not yet. Maybe they could discuss that after they were reunited after Nationals.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Now that they were back home in Hasetsu, everything came rushing back like a tidal wave. Viktor was _leaving_. They were going to be separated for _three weeks,_ and he had no idea how he was going to deal with this. Yuuri immediately got his visa started so that when it went through, he _could_ join Viktor in St. Petersburg. That wouldn't be until after Russian and Japanese Nationals, though. He understood the reasons why it was - because he would have to turn around and come right back to Japan so he might as well stay put - but it was physically painful knowing that they were going to be apart and that there was nothing that either of them could do about it.

They spent the next few days packing and sending everything off to St. Petersburg, to Viktor's apartment there that they would both live in together. The last night, they were laying in bed together, and Yuuri felt a wave of fear go over him. "What's wrong?" Viktor asked as the Russian tightened his hold on him a bit more. They had agreed to leave the bed behind, for when they came to visit. Yuuri's parents had been more than happy with that.

"Are you sure that I can't go with you?" Yuuri asked, and he immediately regretted the words. They sounded so small and timid to his ears.

He felt Viktor press a kiss into his hair. "I wish you could, but you need to stay here, as much as I hate that," he said. "It's only a few weeks." He didn't sound any more convinced than Yuuri was, and that almost helped - a bit, to know that it was just as hard on Viktor as it was on him. "One more thing, Yuuri. I don't want you to come with me tomorrow."

"What? Why? I'm not going to see you for three weeks; I have to!" Yuuri cried, clinging to Viktor as if he was going to disappear at any moment. How could he not want him to go with, to see him off? It would be their last chance to see each other for _weeks!_

"Because if you are there at the airport, I am _never_ getting on that plane," Viktor said, looking quite serious. Yuuri felt some of the pain from Viktor's previous statement leave. "I need to go, and I would never voluntarily leave you. You are my light, and I don't want to be from that, but this is what has to be done." Yuuri buried his face in Viktor's chest, and he felt his fiance tighten his hold on him, almost as if _he_ was afraid that he was going to leave, too.

This was just as hard on him, and somehow, that made it a bit better. He wasn't in pain alone. Viktor didn't like this either, but somehow, the two of them would get through this.

"Do you want to hear my music?" Viktor asked after a moment, most likely to break the silence that had come over them. "We've been so busy, I completely forgot. My costumes are a surprise, though. I'm not telling you about them. You'll have to wait, but I'd love to hear what you think about the music."

"Sure!" Yuuri sat up as Viktor reached over and grabbed his phone. He clicked through it, and then soon, music started to play.

"Short program," Viktor explained as the music started. The first thing that struck Yuuri was how _dark_ it was. In the beginning, it was hopeful, but that soon faded as the music got darker and darker as the music went on. It was different from his usual programs. It was gorgeous music, though.

"It's who I was before, before you." Yuuri looked up at him, and suddenly, it clicked. That explained everything, and it explained why he had designed a program that would have this dark theme. He could hear the story now that he thought back - a hopeful beginning, but ultimately the song spiraled down darker and darker. It was had a lyrical, mournful tone to it. "I call it 'In the Past.'"

"I love it," Yuuri said. "It's gorgeous but so painful."

"It's supposed to be," Viktor said, tightening his hold on him. "I would never have been able to skate about this or talk about this. I'm not good at that, so the only way I know how to deal with something is to skate about it." He shrugged his shoulders. "So when I asked Dmitri to redo the music, this is what I wanted. I'm not afraid anymore. I'm not ashamed for people to say this and wonder if it was me if I was like this because I was." He pressed a kiss to Yuuri's lips, and Yuuri laid his head on Viktor's chest.

He understood now, why Viktor had called him his light. That was accurate if this dark, depressing music was a testament to who he had been in the past. Just like Yuuri was not the same person as he was before the two of them had gotten together, neither was Viktor. They both had pasts, and while Viktor didn't talk about his much, Yuuri was glad that he could open up when he felt he needed to. He would always be here to listen.

Viktor took a deep breath, and then made a few more clicks on his phone. "And now for the free," he said, clearly wanting to change the subject. The second started, with the song starting out very lyrical and slow, almost simplistic. As the music went on, slowly, the song gained traction and continued to build as the story in the music unfolded. By the end of the song, it was very powerful and strong.

"Wow!" Yuuri said, lifting his head up and looking up at Viktor. "It's amazing. Starts so slow and soft, and then just build and builds."

"That's the idea," Viktor said, smiling down at him. "I call it, 'A Year in the Life.' It's the past year of my life, starting from last year's Grand Prix Final and going to this year. Of course, I had the song commissioned before then, but it fits very well, don't you think?"

Yuuri smiled back at him. "Yes, it does. I also like how the songs have different approaches, though both cover your past. The short is very dark, while the beginning of the free is more simple."

"I'm glad you think so." Viktor gave him a kiss. Yuuri knew, as they held each other, kissing, that they would be okay. The next few weeks would be tough on both of them, but they would get through this, somehow - together.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

"At least let me come on the train with you," Yuuri practically begged the next morning. "I'll turn around and come right back afterward; I won't come to the airport." He understood why Viktor didn't want him there because if he was there, he was likely to try and force him to stay. Still, he wanted _every second_ he could have with Viktor before they were forced to be separated.

"I think that's a good compromise," Viktor said. They were currently laying in bed, doing everything they could to not get out of bed. It was still very early, as neither had slept well last night knowing that they would be separated early the next morning. They didn't have to leave for a couple of hours yet, but they would have to start getting ready sooner rather than later.

Viktor pressed his lips against Yuuri, and the Japanese man felt himself melt into the kiss. He ran his nails down his fiance's chest as Viktor spread his legs open, gently rubbing his hands up his thighs. He moaned into the kiss as he felt his fiance wrap one hand around his cock, beginning to stroke. After a moment, he slowly felt a lube-slicked finger inside him. He felt himself being slowly stretched as Viktor's hand stroked his cock, his lips nibbling and sucking on his neck.

Yuuri moaned and writhed underneath him. "Viktor, please…" Viktor pressed a kiss to his lips as he removed his fingers and hands from Yuuri's body and lying next to him. Yuuri then he found himself pulled into Viktor's lap. He straddled his fiance's bare hips as he felt Viktor's hands pressing hard into his hips as he brought him down into a passionate, bruising kiss.

Breaking the kiss momentarily, he reached over and grabbed some lube, and within a moment, he felt Viktor's hands holding him as he lifted his hips up and sank down onto his fiance's cock. The Russian thrust up as Yuuri rocked his hips back, letting a soft, needy moan in his throat as he dug his nails into Viktor's chest.

Viktor groaned, digging his nails into Yuuri's hips. "Fuck, you're so beautiful," he said, before pulling him down into an eager, rough kiss as Yuuri continued to move. Viktor broke the kiss, moving his lips to Yuuri's neck as each thrust hit that spot inside of him, making Yuuri whine and moan. Yuuri desperately wished that this moment would never end, because ending would mean that they would be leaving each other, but it all felt too good to stop. Viktor came first, digging his nails harder into Yuuri's hips as he bit down on the spot where Yuuri's neck and shoulder met. Yuuri came soon after, calling out Viktor's name before collapsing on top of him.

Viktor's arm slid around him, and they just laid there for a moment before they both admitted the awful truth - they had to get going.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

They rode the train ride to Fukuoka in silence, leaning into each other, their arms wrapped around each other. Viktor hated the idea of leaving Yuuri and worried about not being there for him over the next couple of weeks leading up to Nationals. It wasn't until they were both off the train, with Viktor's luggage sitting next to him on the platform that it dawned on them that they were _leaving_ each other. He wrapped his arms around Yuuri's waist, pulling him close as they rested their foreheads against each other. For a while, neither said anything. "I'll call you so much that you'll be sick of me," Viktor said, his voice sounding a lot softer than he would have liked.

"I don't think that's possible," Yuuri responded, causing Viktor to smile. It was the exact same thing that they had said to each other not too long ago.

"I will see you after Nationals, I promise, and then you will be right back here in my arms, where you belong." Viktor tightened his hold on Yuuri, almost as if to prove his point.

"I know," Yuuri said. "It just seems like so long, and I'm nervous about going to Nationals by myself. I've never been to a competition alone." Celestino had other students, but nothing had ever conflicted with his competitions before. Viktor pulled back, looking at Yuuri in shock as his fiance's words washed over him. "What?" Yuuri asked. "You'll be at Russian Nationals. They take place at the same time, every single year. We've even talked about meeting up again after Nationals."

Viktor knew that it should have been obvious, but for some reason, the thought that Yuuri would be there _alone_ hadn't occurred to him. He swore under his breath in Russian. "There's nothing we can do about it," Yuuri said, continuing.

"You shouldn't be there alone," Viktor said. He didn't think Yuuri was ready yet.

"Well, we don't have a choice, do we?" Yuuri wasn't wrong about that, at least not as far as Viktor could see. "Unless you want me to call Celestino." It was obviously not said seriously, but nonetheless, Yuuri must have seen something in the expression on Viktor's face because he kept speaking. "I don't like it, either. I know you'd prefer Yakov, but he'll be busy at Russian Nationals with you, Yurio, Mila, Georgi… so it's either Celestino or nobody."

Viktor gave a deep sigh. He could tell that Yuuri didn't like the idea any more than he did, but Yuuri was right - it was either asking Yuuri's old coach or allowing his student and fiance, who had severe anxiety, to go back to Nationals alone. After what happened last year, he knew that wasn't an option. What if he had a relapse? Viktor would rather it be him there, but as Yuuri had pointed out, that wasn't an option. "Call him." It was early enough here that it should still be daytime in the States.

Yuuri quickly dialed Celestino's number. "Yuuri! Ciao! How are you?"

"Oh, I'm good, thanks, um… Viktor and I have a favor to ask."

Yuuri looked up at Viktor, and the Russian took over. "You see, I am still Yuuri's coach. For the most part, our schedules won't conflict, but there is one problem…"

"Russian and Japanese Nationals take place at the same time."

Viktor nodded, even though there was no way for Yuuri's old coach to see that. "Yes, that is true enough, so we were wondering if you could coach him - just for Nationals, so he is not alone." He hoped that Celestino would understand why that is because after all, he had _been there_ with Yuuri last year. He had seen how he had fallen apart. Yuuri needed _someone_ there.

"Shouldn't you have though that over before you decided to come back, and try and do double duty?" Celestino asked, a matter-of-fact tone to his voice.

"It will be difficult. We both know that," Viktor said, keeping his emotions in check. He was starting to get annoyed at people questioning his coaching abilities. Yes, he knew he wasn't the best coach, but damn it… He _could_ do both. "This is the only time where we can't make it work. We'll deal with it next year. For now, we just need someone there this year. I'll pay you extra."

Viktor heard silence on the other end of the line, as Celestino presumably thought it over. "Okay, sure, of course, I'd be happy to," he said. "Happy to help."

Viktor snatched Yuuri's phone away, and walked a couple of feet away, reluctantly letting go of Yuuri. "Do me a favor. If you see him… slipping, you know, force him to call me. I don't want him to think that he has to do it alone. I don't care what time it is." He knew how Yuuri was, and he didn't want the younger man to think that he had to do it alone because he thought that Viktor was too busy, or whatever excuse that he could come up with him.

"Will do," Celestino said agreeably. "Are you sure you've thought this through?"

"Of course," he said, walking back over to Yuuri. In fact, he knew he hadn't. He had just known that he didn't want anyone else to coach Yuuri, and there was no way that he was going to let him go. "Thank you again." However, this one time, they needed help. He had to trust that Yuuri would be okay and that his old coach knew him well enough that this would be fine.

"Yes, Celestino, thanks," Yuuri echoed.

"No problem, talk to you both later." With that, the call ended, and Yuuri slipped the phone back into the pocket of his jacket.

Yuuri looked up at Viktor, a confused expression on his face. "What did you ask him about? Why did you take the phone and walk off so that I couldn't hear you?"

Viktor wrapped his arms around his fiance's waist, a smile crossing his lips. "If you need me, no matter what time it is, you call me," he said. "I don't care what you think I'm doing, or what time it is. If you need me, call me. Remember, I am _always_ here for you, and _nothing_ is more important."

A smile crossed Yuuri's face, and Viktor felt his fiance relax into him. "Okay, I promise."

With that, Viktor leaned forward and captured Yuuri's lips with his own. They shared a quick, needy kiss before the Russian reluctantly pulled away. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Yuuri said, pressing a soft, lingering kiss on Viktor's lips. "Call me as soon as you land, no matter what time it is." After that, they agreed to turn away at the same time so that Yuuri could catch the train back to Hasetsu and Viktor could catch his plane. They slowly pulled away, before turning and leaving each other behind.


	3. Chapter 3 - Our Temporary Severance

**A/n:** Also, as a note, Tatiyana Demidova and Maxim Ivanov (mentioned previously), are OC's of mine used for narrative purposes only here.

 **Chapter 3 - Our Temporary Severance**

As soon as Viktor left Yuuri, he felt as if one of his arms had been cut off. As he caught a cab to the airport, he told himself it was only a few weeks. That was, after all, what he had been telling Yuuri this whole time. He didn't feel as confident as he had sounded to his fiance, though. The Russian reached over and touched the gold band that sat on his right hand - a reminder of his and Yuuri's love, and that they would get through this. If there had been any other choice, he would have allowed them to be separated, and especially not for this extended length of time. _It's only three weeks, Nikiforov,_ he told himself as the cab pulled up to the airport terminal. After paying the fare and thanking the driver, he headed into the terminal.

The plane ride seemed to drag on forever. It seemed it had been forever since he'd been back when in reality it had only been about eight months. It had been eight months that had changed his life, that was for sure. He took a cab back to his apartment building, grabbing the small, gold key that he hadn't used in months. He would much rather be at home with Yuuri, where he had that wonderful onsen, his mother's amazing cooking, and a place where he felt like he had a family. That was not something he was used to, but Yuuri's parents and even his sister had never treated him as anything else. That was especially wonderful since his Japanese was still pretty terrible, and he couldn't communicate with Yuuri's parents without Yuuri or Mari being there. He was getting better, though.

Viktor made his way up to the floor that his apartment was on, and opened the door. Makkachin bounded in, eager to run around after being locked up during the flight. Flicking on the light, he saw boxes upon boxes sitting on there. There was a note sitting on top of one of them, the one nearest to him at the moment, from one of the building's staff members. _These came for you while you were gone. Had maintenance put them in your apartment. Hope you don't mind. - Elizaveta_

Viktor didn't mind in the least. Closing the door behind him, he put his luggage off to the side. Grabbing his cell phone out of his jacket, he called Yuuri. He almost hung up the phone, knowing that the Japanese man was asleep by now. However, Yuuri had told him to call him. After a few rings, Yuuri answered the phone with a sleepy hello. "Hello, Yuuri," he said. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"Mmm, not really," Yuuri said ."I'm not sleeping well. The bed just seems so… empty." Viktor figured he would know the feeling soon enough. "Did you just get in? How was your flight?"

"It was fine, just long, and yes, I am at my apartment right now." Viktor looked around, the place seeming so stark and lifeless now, without Yuuri's warmth and light here. It was no longer his home, not anymore.

"Feel good to be back?"

"I like being back in Russia, but I liked Japan," he responded. "I'm going to let you get to sleep. I'll text you in the morning. Text me when you wake up, and we can figure something out so we can talk as much as possible." There was a six hour time difference between St. Petersburg and Hastetsu, so that would pose a bit of an issue, but they could work it out. Right now, Viktor was too tired to think straight, and he still had work to do before he could go to sleep himself.

"Mmm, okay, goodnight, Viktor," Yuuri said.

"Goodnight, _lyubov moya_ ," Viktor said. "Sleep well." With that, he ended the call. He gave a heavy sigh. This was going to be a very long few weeks.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

The next morning, Viktor knew exactly what Yuuri had been talking about. He had slept like shit during the night. Without Yuuri curled around him, or vice versa, the bed, had felt cold and empty in a way that had nothing to do with being a new bed. Sighing, he reached over and grabbed his phone. Makkachin nuzzled his side and reached over giving him a pet as he read a good morning text from Yuuri that had been sent a few hours before. _Morning, Yuuri. I was thinking, we could talk after I get out of practice? It might not be for long, though._

He was getting ready when he heard the sound coming from his phone that indicated a response. _That's fine._ It was Yuuri. _I just needed to hear your voice._

 _I know the feeling,_ Viktor quickly texted back. _Talk to you later, lyubov moya._ With that, he finished getting ready and gathered his stuff before heading to the rink. It seemed like it was a lifetime ago the last time that he was along this same path. So much had happened since then. He couldn't wait until Yuuri was with him, but for now, he would get through this. He and Yuuri supported each other, and for now, they would do that from afar.

Viktor slipped into the rink unnoticed, changed, and then went to the rink to get warmed up. "The prodigal son returns," said a familiar voice. Viktor looked up to see Mila standing nearby, looking as if she had just finished her off-ice warm-ups.

He smiled up at her as he started his own warm ups. "Nice to see you, too, Mila," he said.

"Viktor! Welcome back!" Another rinkmate, Alexandra, greeted him warmly. She had been a promising skater for a few years, and many had pegged her as the next great Russian Ladies' star. She was even a World medalist. However, that had never materialized, and now with the younger ladies on the rise, like Mila herself and reigning Grand Prix Final Champion, Tatiyana Demidova, she was getting further buried every year. She had moved here from Moscow to train a couple of years back in hopes of reviving her career, but that hadn't happened yet, though she was making progress.

He greeted Georgi as well before Yakov barked at them all to get back to training. "Vitya, please tell me that you have some programs planned already and that you're not planning on trying to choreograph two of them in two weeks because not even _you_ can do that," Yakov said, coming to stand near him.

"Don't worry; I have them already done… well, mostly. I'm sure they need some work, but I have the rest of the season to do that."

"You're the reigning champion, Viktor," the old coach reminded him. "You haven't lost this competition -"

"Since I was sixteen, yes, I know, I remember," he said. He didn't need reminding. He could barely remember the last time he had placed something other than first at Russian Nationals - that had been his last year as a junior internationally, and it had been his first medal on the senior level at Nationals. The next year, he won his first title - and hadn't looked back since. Even with his injuries, he'd managed to compete and win Nationals and Europeans every year. It was such a long time ago now. The truth was, though, that it would be hard to defend his title this year. Winning was not to the goal, but he couldn't tell Yakov that.

Viktor, of course, _wanted_ to win. He _liked_ winning, but then again, what athlete didn't? There was more to it than that, though. It was expected that he would win. In any competition, he was entered in. The last time he had lost a competition had been the 2010 Worlds, coming off also losing at the Olympics. He had come off of years of injuries, and that had been his first healthy season. He had made a couple of small, uncharacteristic mistakes at both competitions. It had cost him. Sure, he had placed second at both, as well - hardly a complete failure - but still, it was a loss nonetheless. It had stung especially more since he had been the defending Olympic Champion going in. It had definitely helped motivate him for the few years, though going into the next Olympics, which had been in his home country.

"I think it's most important that I worry about getting these two programs into a good spot by the time Nationals comes along." He paused for a moment, before continuing. "Oh, and by the way, Yuuri will be moving here after Japanese Nationals." It was only fair that he warned him, of course. It wasn't as if he could have Yuuri just show up, and then tell him that he was training there from now on. It should be assumed that they would be living together. They _were_ engaged, after all.

The look on Yakov's face clearly said that he hadn't been expecting that. The old man only seemed phased for a moment, though, before rolling his eyes, and muttering under his breath as he walked off. Viktor was glad that he had gone because it gave him time to think. It would be hard to beat Yurio this year, but it was possible. Yurio hadn't been clean in his free skate; if he could do that, then the teenager had a chance at beating him. Georgi was capable, but he never seemed to skate up to his potential. Yurio was the only one who really posed a threat to him. Viktor wasn't going to worry about that, though, because the only thing he could control was himself.

"I suppose you want this back." Viktor had just finished his off-ice warm-ups and was putting on his skates. Looking up, he saw Yurio standing there, holding out a small, gold key.

"I gave that to you," Viktor said. "A long time ago, if memory serves. It's yours. Why would I want it back?"

Yurio looked surprised by his answer, but the expression didn't last, and he scoffed. "You think your fiance will want me having a key to your apartment? Give me a break." Viktor noticed that he kept his eyes away from him. Was he seriously expecting that now that Viktor didn't live alone that he wouldn't want him around anymore, or at least to not have a key, giving him open access?

"What? You think Yuuri will mind? I doubt that," Viktor told him, a small smile crossing his lips. "Keep it. I told you before; you are welcome over anytime."

Yurio looked up at him, a look of genuine surprise at that. The teenager just nodded and put the key back among his things before going out onto the ice.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

After Viktor had finished doing his on-ice warm-ups, Yakov called out to him. "Vitya! When you're finished warming up, I want to see those programs you said you did." Viktor waved him off because of course, he had already fully intended to do just that. It wasn't as if he needed as much training as the rest of the skaters did, not that he didn't still need Yakov's input from time to time. If not, then why would he have left his fiance and come here alone, without him?

It was about another hour or so before Viktor was ready to show Yakov the programs. He got the music playing for his short program and went to get into position for the beginning. He knew the program needed a bit more work still, but as he went through the opening moves leading into his first jumping pass - a Quad Salchow/Triple Toe combination - he knew that it was a good program. It was the first program where it actually came from _him_ and not from some random story he had come up with.

Yes, this program hurt, and he wished desperately that he hadn't been this person, that this person wasn't still inside him somewhere, but he _had_ and it _was._

As he ended the program, Viktor knew that he could do this. With Yuuri by his side, he would be fine. Yuuri's love was giving him the strength to do this. He also knew that he had an audience, the other skaters have stopped to watch at some point. There was some light clapping from around him. He took a deep breath before putting on a smile and skating over to Yakov. "So, what do you think?"

"One of your best, I think, or at least it could be," Yakov said. "It still needs a bit more work." He pointed out a couple of sections in the program that he had noticed. Viktor nodded. "What about the jump composition? Are you going to keep what you're doing now? Doing a Quad Toe would be less risky."

Viktor shrugged his shoulders. It was a decent point. "I know that, but it is worth a bit more."

"Not that much," Yakov said, but Viktor waved him off. The old coach shrugged his shoulders, long since used to Viktor not listening to him. "Okay, now I want to see that long program after you've recovered." He nodded, skating away, knowing that he need to cool down a bit before going into a long program. Once he was satisfied he was okay, he got the music started and started the program.

This program was a perfect compliment to the darker short program. Both were a bit on the lyrical side, but the free was a bit more hopeful, more building than the more somber, much darker short. It would be perfect. He wasn't sure what he was going to do with the jump composition at the moment, so he repeated some jumps just to keep his feet underneath him, so to speak. Also, it gave Yakov an idea about how the program would look like once he was done with it.

Viktor got an audience again, judging by the light clapping at the end once he had finished. He ignored some cheering from Mila and Alexandra and skated over to Yakov. He didn't have to wait this time. "Nice choice," Yakov said. "Great compliment to the short. Your best program in my opinion. Now, what are you going to do for the jump composition?"

"I'm still debating about that," Viktor said, motioning for a notepad. He wrote down a few things before handing it to Yakov. "I know I want to start with the Quad Lutz, as it's the most difficult jump." They both knew that he didn't have the stamina anymore to put something like that at the end, and with his knees, it was too much of a risk. "I know that I want two Quad combos after the halfway point. I have to keep up with these younger skaters somehow."

Yakov nodded. "So, you want to end with the Quad Toe combo?" Viktor nodded, and after a bit more discussion, they came up with a good layout that they both thought would work. It also played to his strengths, or so they thought it would if he could complete it completely clean. "How are your knees?"

Viktor shrugged, reaching down to rub his left knee, the one that bothered him the most. "It's fine for the moment," he said. He wondered if that would last. He wasn't done yet.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Viktor texted Yuuri periodically throughout the day. He could tell that his fiance was struggling a bit with focus, and he tried to help him as much as he could. They would have to talk later when he got home. It was hard on him, too, though he tried not to show it. It was hard not to worry about him, to wonder if he was okay. He was picking apart every text, trying to see through the lines to see if there was something Yuuri wasn't telling him. Was he okay? Did he need him, but wasn't telling him?

Viktor forced himself not to worry, reminding himself that he would talk to Yuuri later. He could get a better idea of how things went when he was looking at him and hearing his voice. By the end of practice that day, his knee was killing him. It had never been quite the same after the damage was done to it after Europeans in 2007. Both knees ached, but the left one even more so. He knew that his time in the sport as a competitor was limited, but he wouldn't stop until he was finished.

Viktor had been torn after the end of last season. He had been depressed, uninspired, and quite frankly, _bored_. There was no challenge for him any longer, and he had won everything there was to win, so he didn't need any other titles. It was just… figure skating was the only thing he was ever any good at. What else was he supposed to do? Since he had been so torn, and with Makkachin getting on in years, Viktor had decided to take the next season off.

That had been one of the best decisions of his life because he had moved to Hastetsu, and now he was engaged to the love of his life. He knew the next year - or two, or however long Viktor decided to continue competing - wouldn't be easy, especially with him doing double duty as both coach and competitor, but it was going to be worth it. _He knew it_ , especially with Yuuri by his side. It would just take some time once Yuuri arrived for him to figure it all out.

"Vitya! Come over here," he heard Yakov bark at him as he was fixing to leave the rink. Viktor decided to humor him and walked over to him. "Are you sure you know what you're doing? You're crazy if you think you can do both. Why are you putting yourself through this?"

Viktor heard what his old coach wasn't saying - that he wasn't twenty anymore. He almost subconsciously lifted his hand so he could gaze at the gold ring that sat there, glinting on his finger where Yuuri had placed it about a week ago. "I have my reasons."

"I'm sure you do, but for once in your life, listen to me," Yakov said, causing Viktor to look up at him. "You are _not_ superhuman. You can be brilliant at times, but you're not perfect. You can't do everything, and I do not see a way that you can be both skater _and_ coach! Not at the same level, at the same competitions. Something will have to give. Either your coaching will slide, and that means that Katsuki's skating might go with it, or your own skating will suffer. Either that, or you'll push yourself so much that your body will give out. _Something_ has to give."

Viktor gave a sigh. He appreciated Yakov's advice at times, but other times, he could go a bit overboard. "I know that," he admitted. "I'm not stupid." Yakov seemed a bit surprised that Viktor had already thought about that. He was sure that his old coach thought he was rash. "I know it'll be hard. I know what I'm doing." He paused for a second, turning away as he said, "I also know what I'm giving up." He knew that he could never be what he was before. It was impossible. Being the best the way he had been required a certain sacrifice, sacrifice that he could no longer give, that he was no longer _willing_ to give. It would be okay because Viktor _wanted_ to do this because he enjoyed it. He wanted to compete again because it was something that he had enjoyed before, and wanted to again.

And above all, no matter how hard it would be, Yuuri was worth it.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Yuuri yawned the lack of sleep the night before taking his toll on him. He was waiting for Viktor to call, and he kept glancing at Skype, anxious to hear his fiance's voice, to see his face. It seemed like forever, and it had only been, what, thirty-six hours? He had no idea how they two of them would make it through the next three weeks, but somehow, the two of them would do it. They had to. Yuuri tried to remind himself that he had Nationals in two weeks, and he needed to be focused for that. He found that hard to do right now.

Suddenly, the Skype notification popped up saying that there was a video call from Viktor Nikiforov. Yuuri's heart skipped a couple of beats. He immediately accepted without hesitation, and there was the tired and worn face of his love. "Viktor! How are you? You look tired."

"Practice was rough, and I didn't sleep well, but I'm fine," Viktor smiled. "It's good to see your face."

Yuuri smiled back at him. "You, too," he said. "I miss you." Emotion gripped his heart as he stared the computer screen, the closest he could come to him right now.

Viktor gave him a sad smile. "I know, I miss you too," he said. "We will be okay, I promise." Yuuri nodded because it was the only thing he could deal with. "How was practice?"

Yuuri shrugged. "It was okay, I guess." Viktor raised an eyebrow, and Yuuri continued. "I just… I found it hard to focus without you." Suddenly, Makkachin popped up on camera. "Hi, Makkachin. I miss you, too."

Viktor laughed, pushing the dog to the side a bit so that he no longer blocked his view. "I know how you feel, Yuuri. I thought about you all day, wondering how you were doing. Remember, you have Nationals in two weeks, and you need to focus if you want to gain your title back. Tanaka will be there, and so will Himura. Neither were there last year. You _do_ want to win, don't you?"

Viktor gave him a look that said that he knew better, and Yuuri clenched his fists. "Yes, I do. I want to win. I want my title back." He would be only one of two skaters there who had won, and Minami's chances at the podium were diminished with Tanaka and Himura in the field. Besides that, he didn't plan on allowing himself to make those same mistakes again. "I had it first, and I want it back. I _will_ get it back."

Viktor smiled at him. "Good, that's what I wanted to hear. Promise me that you won't sacrifice your training just because I'm not there."

"I promise," Yuuri said, leaning forward, as if doing that would somehow get him closer to Viktor, despite the fact that they were thousands of miles away from each other at the moment. "I will work hard, and I will make you proud."

Viktor smiled brighter at him. "Oh, my Yuuri, don't you know that you already do? Both as your coach _and_ as your fiance." Yes, Yuuri knew that already but it meant the world to him that Viktor had told him that. It definitely helped with his confidence level, too. All that would make this moment better is if Viktor was here, his arms wrapped around him.

No, stop that. He wasn't here and thinking that would make him depressed.

Yuuri was dragged out of his thoughts as he saw Viktor wincing a bit, and though the camera didn't show it, almost seemed as I the older man was rubbing and stretching out his leg. "Are you okay?" Viktor immediately said he was fine, but something told Yuuri that something else was going on. "Viktor, if I can tell you anything, then you can do the same, right? What's wrong?"

Viktor waved him off. "It's just my old injury is all, nothing more."

"Old injury? What, the one from 2007?" Viktor nodded. "That still bothers you?" Another nod. "I didn't know that. Why didn't you ever say anything?" Then again, the Russian had always been quiet about personal issues, though he had always answered a question that Yuuri had asked.

Viktor gave a shrug. "On and off over the years, nothing that ever affected my programs or my competing, not since 2009, anyway. It's fine, it just bothers me sometimes, more and more now as I'm getting older. I just need to be careful, but I know my body. I'm fine, _lyubov moya,_ I promise," Viktor told him, and Yuuri let out a breath that he didn't know he'd been holding. "I just don't like to complain about things like that much, you know that. Besides, I wasn't training full-time before, so it was less of a problem than it is now. I managed before, and I will again."

The two of them talked for a bit longer before Yuuri started to get sleepy. He didn't want to go to bed, though, because not only would it mean going to bed alone, it would also mean hanging up the call with Viktor. "Yuuri, if you're tired, go to sleep," Viktor told him as Yuuri was starting to drift off as they talked. "Look, go get ready for bed and call me back on your phone. I will stay with you until you fall asleep."

That sounded like a good compromise to Yuuri, though, so he quickly ended the call before getting into bed and calling Viktor back on Skype. "I tried sleeping in my old room, cause this one reminds me of you, but I couldn't. It's… too cold there." He was not talking about the temperature of the room, either, but the room itself no longer felt like his.

Viktor smiled. "At least you have that," he said. "I have an old, cold apartment." Viktor lifted up the laptop, and Yuuri could briefly see all the boxes before his fiance put it back down. "I love you."

"Mmm, I love you, too." Viktor kept talking to him, and at some point, Yuuri did fall asleep.


	4. Chapter 4 - On the Path

**Chapter Four - On the Path**

Yuuri woke up the next morning, feeling a bit better having talked to Viktor last night. He still didn't feel fully rested, though, and he also felt a tad guilty that he couldn't do the same thing for Viktor. Due to the six hour time difference, Yuuri went to bed first, and Viktor went to bed later. For now, though this situation would have to work. He immediately grabbed his phone, the Skype app still up. He closed it, and then noticed a notification - a text from Viktor, sent sometime in the middle of the night his time. _Good morning, lyubov moya. I hope you slept better. Have a good day at practice. Remember, try and focus. If you need me, call me! Also, I hope you're not worrying about the Quad Lutz. Focus on keeping the Quad Flip clean, and doing clean programs._

 _Good morning to you, too. I slept a bit better._ Yuuri thought to himself that it would be better with Viktor here, but there was no need to keep dwelling on that. _I promise I'm not focusing on the Quad Lutz. I'll keep the programs clean for Nationals. Have a great day at practice, too._ He sent the text and closed his phone, a smile crossing his face. Waking up to that text helped a bit. Hopefully, Viktor was helped by his text, too. Perhaps they _could_ make it through this after all.

After that, Yuuri had a quick breakfast and headed to the rink. Viktor was right - he had to focus. He had to keep practicing the Quad Flip. He knew that he didn't need it for Japanese Nationals, but he would need it for Four Continents - JJ would be there, and so would Otabek Altin, Seung-Gil Lee, Phichit… He couldn't rest on his laurels. Skating clean was the most important thing. He hadn't successfully done a clean long and short _together_ this season. He had done clean shorts - at Cup of China and Rostelecom Cup. He had done clean longs - at the Grand Prix Final. He had not done both in the same competition. If he wanted to do well the rest of the season - Nationals and beyond - that needed to change.

"Morning, Yuu-chan," he said, as he entered the rink.

Yuuko was standing behind the counter and smiled brightly at him. "Morning! How are you doing?"

Yuuri shrugged. "Better than yesterday, I guess," he said honestly, "still not great, though."

Yuuko gave him an understanding smile. "I know you miss Viktor," she said. "I don't know what I do if I was separated from Takeshi for as long as you two will be, but remember - it's not forever. You've got Nationals, though, so don't get distracted. You need to stay focused."

"I know, and I'm trying," he said. "Yesterday, I just kept thinking about how much I missed him, and if he was here…" He let out a low groan. "I talked to Viktor last night, and that helped. I just have to concentrate on my skating, because if I want to go back to Four Continents and Worlds, I have to win." He clenched his fists, and he knew he probably looked as determined as he wanted to feel right now. He really _did_ want to win.

"I'm sure you want your title back," Yuuko said. Yuuri nodded. "If you need help staying motivated, Takeshi and I are always here for you, you know that."

Yuuri smiled back at her. "Thanks, I appreciate that." He took a deep breath. "I could use the help, actually. I just really want to do well at Nationals, especially after what happened last year."

Yuuko walked around from the other side of the counter. "Don't think about that. A lot has changed since last year, remember." She gave him a patient smile. She had always been so patient with him, ever since they were kids. That was helpful right now. "You've changed. You've grown. You can handle this." Yuuri nodded, knowing that she was right - but it was nice to hear. "Want some help with motivation today? I'm sure Takeshi wouldn't mind helping at all."

"What would I mind doing?" At that moment, Nishigori walked in.

"Help Yuuri with training. He could use help staying focused and motivated."

"What, miss your fiance already, do you?" Nishigori said, smirking at Yuuri who blushed deeply at his words. Yuuko gave a smack on the arm. "And to think, all of this happened because the triplets posted that video of you skating Viktor's program. Imagine what would have happened if they hadn't done that."

A small smile crossed Yuuri's face. "I don't want to." He immediately reached over and rubbed the gold ring that sat on his finger, the one that linked the two of them together no matter how far apart they may actually be. "Do me a favor, and tell them thank you for that."

Nishigori chuckled as Yuuko smiled sweetly at him. "I will. Now Yuuri, go train. Takeshi, make sure he stays focused." Yuuri just nodded and walked towards the rink to start warming up.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

It wasn't until after lunch that Yuuri heard back from Viktor. That was the hard thing about a six hour time difference. _Good morning, lyubov moya! Well, it's afternoon there, of course. How is training?_ Yuuri smiled down at the phone. Just a text made him feel better. _Fine,_ he responded. _Nishigori is helping me stay motivated and focused today. Did you sleep well?_

"Who is that? Oh, wait, let me guess, Viktor," Nishigori said, and Yuuri felt a blush creeping up on his cheeks. Viktor quickly responded, so he ignored Nishigori for the time being.

 _I'm glad your friend is helping you out. My sleep could have been better, but could have been worse,_ Viktor texted back. _I have complete faith in you!_ Yuuri couldn't have kept the smile off his face if he tried. He quickly texted Viktor back that he knew that, and that he loved him before wishing him good luck at practice. He received an _I love you, too, and I will_ in return.

It actually _was_ helping to have someone to motivate him today. Nishigori could be tough, but right now, that's what he wanted. He needed to stay on track. Nishigori would constantly tell him, "What would Viktor think if he saw you slacking off?" or "Don't you want to win back that title you lost? How old was that kid who beat you last year?" Sometimes it pissed him off, and he would scream at Nishigori to shut up, but more often than not, it worked. At least for today, anyway. Nonetheless, he was glad when practice was over for the day. He should start tapering down, anyway, because he wanted to make sure that he could do well at Nationals, and there was no reason to overwork himself. He had what he needed to win, and all he needed to do was keep it. Clean programs, just like Viktor said. The two texted a bit throughout the day, and each text just helped keep Yuuri on track. He couldn't wait until Nationals was over, and they could be together again - and bring Viktor a gold medal as he won his _third_ National title.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

"How was practice?" Yuuri asked as he and Viktor chatted over Skype a couple of nights later. It was late there, but Viktor had just gotten home from practice recently. Yuuri was laying in the bed that he and Viktor had shared, his laptop sitting in his lap.

"Fine," Viktor said. "The programs won't be where I want them to be for Nationals, but I'll have them up to par before Europeans. Yakov keeps reminding me that I'm the eleven-time defending champion." The silver-haired Russian just rolled his eyes. "As if I _need_ reminding. I am well aware of that fact, and the fact that I'm up against younger skaters who have had multiple competitions where this will be my first of the season. There are _always_ younger skaters. Yes, I am the oldest person in the field." He shrugged his shoulders. "None of this bothers me."

Yuuri couldn't imagine how he must feel right now. Viktor hadn't lost that competition since he was sixteen, just a little older than Yurio was now. "You aren't nervous at all?"

A slight shadow crossed Viktor's face, but it was gone in an instant. "No, not really," he said. Yuuri gave him a look that clearly said he didn't believe him. "Well, a bit, but not for the reason you think. I have never done programs this personal before, and I wonder what people will think. That, and… I do wonder if people will think I've stagnated, you know, because I've settled down. I know that's not true, I'm more inspired and happier than ever, but I do wonder about these things. That, and I'll be 28 next weekend, in the middle of the competition." He gave a smile, shrugging his shoulders.

Yuuri was glad that Viktor could open up to him. "You always tell me not to pay attention to what everyone is saying," he told him. "Maybe you should do the same. Your programs are wonderful. I loved the videos you sent me yesterday, and those who don't understand don't deserve to."

"It doesn't matter because you're losing anyway, old man," said an angry voice from somewhere off-screen.

Viktor's smile brightened, seeming to ignore Yurio's comment all together. "Thank you, _lyubov moya_. I needed that." He turned back to where Yurio was undoubtedly standing. "I'm not giving up my title without a fight." Viktor then turned back to face the screen. "Oh, and I have good news. Lilia has agreed to teach you."

"Yurio's choreographer?" The name sounded familiar. He was sure he had heard Viktor and Yurio mention her.

Viktor nodded. "Yes, Lilia Baranovskaya. She's the best, and you need another ballet teacher. After all, yours will still be in Hastetsu, and you won't be there for much longer." Yes, the idea of finally being with Viktor again was intoxicating, but it also made the separation they were in that much harder. "Have you sent everything over already?"

"Everything I won't need has been sent already, yes," Yuuri told him. He had already gotten his visa, so all he needed was for Nationals to be over and he and Viktor would be together again. "And okay, tell her thank you." He was trying to concentrate on Nationals, knowing that the separation would be over but also knowing that he needed to focus on performing well. Minako, Yuuko and Nishigori were all helping him stay focused.

Viktor smiled at him, and Yuuri desperately wished that he could just go through the computer right now. He leaned forward, trying to keep himself from crying. "What's wrong, love?"

Yuuri took a deep breath. "I'm fine, I just… I miss you so much it _hurts._ "

Viktor leaned forward, closer to the screen, his smile turning sad. "I know how you feel, but it's not long now." It was at least good to know that he wasn't alone. "When do you leave for Sapporo?"

Yuuri yawned, glad for the change of subject. "Wednesday, my flight leaves at ten in the morning. When do you leave for Ekaterinburg?"

"Tuesday, at eight in the morning," he said. "Go to sleep. I will see you soon, I promise." Yuuri closed his eyes, though Viktor turned to say something to Yurio, he did eventually drift off, the promise of seeing Viktor again soon helping him sleep a bit easier.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Viktor turned to Yurio who had let himself in during the middle of his conversation with Yuuri. "You just had to interject, didn't you?" He had a smile on his face, though, because honestly, he liked the fact that Yurio seemed to have such confidence. It was great to see. "I don't have much time to talk to him right now." He gave a fake pout, knowing that would just annoy him a bit.

"Oh, please, don't pout," Yurio said, rolling his eyes. "You're twenty-eight. Seriously…" He shook his head, but Viktor just laughed, before looking back at the screen. He didn't really feel it right now, but at least he was getting distracted from how much he missed Yuuri and what people were going to say if he _did_ lose at Nationals next week.

Yuuri was sound asleep. He smiled at him, before ending the Skype call. Viktor turned back to Yurio. "Let's go get something to eat. There's a nice restaurant nearby." He stood up, stretching a bit. "And I'm not twenty-eight until Friday."

"Oh, that one you took me to before?" Yurio asked, and Viktor nodded. "Sure, let's go. Better than your cooking, anyway, and you keep telling yourself that. One week doesn't make you less of _twenty-eight._ "

"I am not that bad of a cook," he countered. Viktor wanted something to distract himself from missing Yuuri, though he knew that he couldn't eat or drink the way he wanted to right now, with a competition so close. It was nice to have Yurio around for the weekend, though. He had said that he just needed to get out of Lilia's house for a bit, so he brought his stuff for the weekend.

"You're not that great of one, either," Yurio responded without missing a beat.

After dinner, he went home. He and Yurio stayed up to watch a bit of a TV before they both turned in for the night. They needed to make sure that they were fully rested for Nationals, and Viktor needed it even more since he hadn't been sleeping all that well. It just wasn't the same, without Yuuri's arms wrapped around him, the Japanese man snuggled against him. One thing at a time, though - go to Nationals, try to defend his title, and then he could have his lover back in his arms again.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

It was their last day before leaving for Nationals, and most of the skaters had come in to do a few run throughs. Yuri was done for the day and was checking his phone to see if Otabek had texted him back. The Kazakh had a different schedule, as not only was it three hours ahead in Almaty, but he also didn't have to taper for Nationals. The two of them had been texting constantly since they had parted after the Grand Prix Final. He wasn't sure he had ever talked so much to someone else that wasn't in his training group - Viktor had never really counted on that front. He had also found out a lot about him.

For instance, Otabek was a _DJ._ That taken him by surprise, but only in the best way possible. There was nothing cooler than being a DJ. He could picture it, and he really wanted to see it one day. Yuri wasn't sure that would ever happen or how that would happen, though possible he could visit Otabek in Almaty this summer. That was just wishful thinking at this point, though. The blond had also found out that Beka had two younger sisters, not to mention aunts, uncles, cousins… Yurio had been nervous to admit that, well, his family was fucked up. Sure, he had mentioned his grandfather first, who had always been there for him, but then… There was his mother. Every time they talked, they seemed to fight. She was never around because she always seemed to be off doing her own thing or trying to work. He had no idea, honestly, and when she was, she wanted money. Add that to the fact that he had never known his father, and he was reminded as to why he never talked about any of this.

Yuri was about to text Beka back when he felt someone sit down next to him. "Is that Otabek you're texting?" It was Mila.

"What do you care?" Yuri responded as he began to type.

Mila gave a sigh. "Oh, just curious. So, you two talk a lot?"

Yuri looked up at her, and she had a dreamy look on her face. "What do you want?" She was beginning to annoy him, more than she usually did. What was she trying to get at?

"Oh, just wondering what kind of person he seems to be," she said. "I mean, I haven't talked to him much, and I want to make sure he's not a jerk. You know, sometimes good looks don't always mean a good personality." She smiled at him. "Do you think I could have his number? You know you can ask him first if you think he might mind."

Yuri just stared at her. Why in the world want she want his number? Because she thought he was hot? "Wait until Worlds, and get it yourself." Whatever she wanted with Beka, it was none of his business.

"But that's three months away," she begged. "Please."

Yuri gave a sigh. "Fine." He gave her the number, and she thanked him and give a him a bright smile before leaving. "Whatever." It wasn't any of his business if she wanted Otabek's number or not. _I gave Mila your number, just so you know,_ he texted, figuring he should give him a heads up in case he wanted to ignore her.

The reply came almost instantly. _Okay. Why?_

Yuri quickly texted back. _I don't know. She was acting weird. She wanted it, so I gave it to her. Sorry if I shouldn't have, I can tell her not to use it._ He immediately worried that he'd fucked up. Should he have asked first? Was it rude to give someone else's number out, even to someone you know, before asking? Fuck. He seriously hoped he hadn't just screwed something up by trying to placate Mila.

This time, the reply didn't come right away. _No, it's fine. Don't worry about it. Thanks for the heads up._ Yuri let out a breath he didn't even know that he had been holding. Beka wasn't mad. Besides, he was a big boy. He could handle himself, and he could handle Mila. If she had the hots for him, whatever went on between them was really none of his business.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

In a couple of days, Yuuri was in Sapporo. Viktor had arrived in Ekaterinburg the day before. Yuuri met up with Celestino, thanking him for helping him. They talked a bit, as his old coach reminded him that he and Viktor would have to figure something else out for next year, though he didn't mind (especially since he was being paid for it). Yuuri told him that he was hoping that he'd be okay by himself next year, but that they would take it one competition at a time. Besides, they had no idea how long Viktor was going to keep competing for.

That night, as usual, he called Viktor. He was glad Nationals was here for two reasons. One, he wanted a chance to redeem himself from last year. Two, it meant one less day until he saw Viktor again. "How are you feeling, _lyubov moya_?" Viktor asked him. They were on Skype, as usual. Yuuri was laying on his back, his head turned to look at the computer, which was laying on the bed next to him. It was only a four hour time difference now, instead of six, but nonetheless, it was rather late where Yuuri was and just about dinner time where Viktor was.

Yuuri shrugged. "Not bad," he said. "I'm… just glad that it's here, you know?" Viktor's short program was tomorrow when Yuuri would find out his skating order. Viktor was skating thirteenth - first in the final group of skaters. Viktor's free skate, along with Yuuri's short program was the day after - on Viktor's birthday. The next day was Yuuri's free skate. The day after that was the Exhibition Gala for Russian Nationals, followed the next day by the Exhibition for Japanese Nationals. The day after that, Yuuri was flying straight to St. Petersburg where the two of them would be reunited.

"I know what you mean," Viktor said. "Besides, in about a week we will be together again." Yuuri gave a small sound of agreement with that. "Mmm, do you have any idea what I'm going to go do to you?"

"Oh?" Yuuri gave a smirk, drifting a hand lazily down his chest. HIs eyes looked directly at the computer screen, watching for every reaction that he got from his fiance. "What would that be?"

"Well, first of all, you're wearing far too many clothes at the moment, beautiful." Yuuri gave a light chuckle, taking off his shirt. "Oh, come on, you know what I mean. I want to see more." He reached over to the laptop, angling it so that Viktor would have a better view. With that, he lifted his hips up and slid off his sweatpants, ones he had stolen from Viktor. That was only fair after all since Viktor had stolen his jacket and wouldn't give it back. Finally, he slid off his boxers so that he was completely naked. "Much better." There was almost a hungry tone to his voice.

"What about you? Come on, Viktor," he said, practically begging.

Viktor smirked at him, slowly taking off his shirt. Yuuri saw him angle the laptop a bit so that Yuuri had a better view as he slipped off his pants and boxers, laying before the laptop once more. "Mmm, now where was I? Oh, yes, well, now I would start kissing and sucking on your neck, running my hands up your thighs." Yuuri moaned, running his hands up his thighs as he slowly spread his legs. He wished it was Viktor's hands, his long, elegant, perfectly manicured hands. "What would you do, Yuuri?"

Yuuri forced himself to speak, reminding himself not to get lost in his fiance's voice. "Run my nails down your back. Mmm, more, please…"

Viktor moaned, and Yuuri saw him reach his hands down to where his cock undoubtedly was, though he couldn't see it based on the angle of the screen, he knew that Viktor was touching himself. "Next, I would put one finger inside you." Yuuri reached over, putting some lube on his fingers, before slowly reaching one hand down, and slowly inserting the fingers inside him. It was nowhere near as good as Viktor's cock, but for now, it would have to do. The other hand, he wrapped around his cock, and slowly began to stroke as Viktor continued to speak. "Then, I would slip a second finger inside you scissoring them inside you."

Yuuri let out a moan, doing with his fingers exactly what Viktor was saying. "I would beg for your cock," he said, the lust evident in his voice. "Mmm, please, I need you…"

Viktor let out a deep groan. "Fuck, Yuuri… I would remove my fingers, and then slowly thrust my cock inside you." Yuuri let his fiance's voice wash over him, each word bringing him closer and closer to completion until he came, Viktor's name on his lips. A moment later, he heard Viktor call out his name as he came. It was the same, and he couldn't wait to feel Viktor's cock inside him again. Breathing labored, he looked over at Viktor and smiled. He opened his mouth to speak before the older man cut him off. "Don't say it. It only makes it worse. Just say that I love you, deeply and that I will see you next week and do all this to you and more."

Yuuri smiled brightened a little bit. "I do love you, more than words, and yes, I will see you next week, and you better be able to fullfill that promise." As had become a habit for them, he left his laptop on, and got cleaned up and ready for bed again. Viktor would talk to him as he fell asleep. None of this was the same, but one more week to go and they would be together again.

But first - Nationals.


	5. Chapter 5 - Resurgence and Resilience

**A/n:** For the record, Sergei and Alexei are OC's of mine. Also, I am aware that recent information has come out that YOI takes place in the 2016 - 2017 season, however as Yuuri mentions not getting chosen for the Universiade (which takes place every odd year) in the first episode, that makes no sense. Thus, I have placed this in the 2015 - 2016 season.

 **Chapter 5 - Resurgence and Resilience**

This was Viktor's fifteenth straight trip to the senior nationals, every year since 2002 when he turned fourteen. He remembered that Nationals. He had been so excited to prove himself, and for a young, up-and-coming skater, he had done rather well for his age. That seemed like so long ago now, but it never got old. There was always something about Nationals. It was special, different than any other competition. He had always enjoyed Nationals - well, for the most part. The past few years, he hadn't enjoyed much of anything. Today, he was actually looking forward to getting out there once more.

After morning practice, Viktor went back to his hotel room to get some rest before the free skate. He knew the part to play as he reached the rink - smile, wink wave for the cameras. As soon as he got inside, though, it was down to business. He started warming up, iPod on and headphones in to block everything else out. The first group was fixing to go out on the ice in a few minutes. Georgi had arrived a little earlier than he and Yurio. Yurio skated second to last, while Georgi skated third in the second group. While Viktor was never overly concerned about other skaters were doing before he skated - he preferred to stay in his bubble, so to speak. He did get interested in what the standings were, though, so he saw nothing wrong as the first group ended with taking a quick peek up. It wasn't as if a high score would affect him any. He didn't get nervous like that, and hadn't in a very long time, regardless.

Currently, the leader was a nineteen-year-old named Alexei Yevtushenko a former up and coming junior skater who had stagnated since debuting on the senior circuit a few years back. In second place was twenty-two year old Valentin Salkov, who had also been a promising skater in the past. Yevtushenko had a personal best score, though, or so it looked like, and it might hold up - depending on what Georgi did. Salkov had also done rather well. Viktor didn't look for long, though, as the second began their warm up. His concern at the moment was staying warmed-up and fresh as he waited for his on-ice warm-up. As the second group ended, Georgi skated a personal best and was now in the lead. Sergei Ivanov, eighteen-years-old and another promising skater in his junior days. There were no other major names in the last group, only him and Yurio. The other skaters in the group were not likely to medal. Even the reigning Junior Grand Prix Final Champion, Maxim Ivanov, had already skated and was currently fifth.

Viktor did a few jumps in his warm along with his crossovers to get his legs underneath him. The crowd was deafening, now that he didn't have his headphones in. Viktor just tuned them out, because none of that mattered. He could hear his accomplishments being listed by the announcer before they went onto the next skater. He had long since learned not to pay attention to any of that. He kept replaying his program in his head, and as the other skaters left the ice, he skated around again before making his way over to Yakov. The first skater had a minute to start their program, as opposed to the thirty seconds the others skaters after did.

"Now, Vitya, all you have to do is skate cleanly," Yakov said. "You have higher technical content." It went unsaid that his program components were no longer that much higher than Yurio's. Viktor nodded, took a sip of water as his name was announced.

"Ladies and gentleman, on the ice… Viktor Nikiforov!" The crowd's cries were deafening, but Viktor just smiled and got into position in the middle of the ice, reaching his right hand up to kiss the gold ring that sat on it. His costume that had been designed for him was black pants, with a black shirt to represent how dark this program was. Each sleeve had two gunmetal gray cutouts, and of course, the costume had some light beading on it. What figure skating costume would be complete without it?

If this was not Nationals, and his program of the season, Viktor would have more than satisfied with how he skated. However, it was Nationals, and you needed to bring your best - this was not it. It wasn't bad for his first competition of the season, though. He took his bows after he finished to the roars of the crowd. "Ladies and gentleman... Viktor Nikiforov!" He then skated off to the kiss and cry, and his coach.

"That could have gone better," Yakov said as they sat down. "Your combination was shaky, and you missed a couple of levels."

Viktor nodded. "Yes, I am aware," he said. "I will have it all fixed before Europeans and Worlds." He blew kisses to the crowd, before doing the same to the camera. He didn't say anyone's name, but Yuuri would know that the kiss was meant for him.

After a minute, the announcer's voice came on. "The scores, please for Viktor Nikiforov. The short program score is 104.64. This is a season's best. He is currently in first place." Well, that was better than expected, actually. He was in the lead over Georgi by about five points. He thought it may be a bit generous, but then again, he'd always been more critical of his own work. Of course, Yurio still had to skate, so only time would tell what placement he was in when the night was over.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Yurio ignored the outside world, his headphones in, blaring music into his ears. He skated second to last, so he had a long wait. It didn't bother him. He had only one thing to prove right now - and that was _he_ was the best skater, not Viktor. While he had would never admit, a part of him was glad that the older man had come back to competition. He was surprised - at his age, how much longer did he have, really? - but glad for a couple of reasons. He would never admit it out loud, but he was actually a pretty big fan of his. He remembered watching him on television when he was little - he and the katsudon both. It was a lot different when you knew someone, though. Viktor was an infuriating person - for that matter, both he and Katsuki were.

Yuri shook his head, shaking those thoughts as he kept moving around, staying warm. This wasn't about Viktor or the Katsudon. This was about _him._ He had something to prove. Sooner, rather than later, he would start growing. Some grew sooner, but Yuri had been rather lucky in that department so far. However, that meant that his growing was coming up rather soon. He would be sixteen soon, and he couldn't avoid it forever. It happened to everyone, and there was no way of knowing what his jumps would be like during his growth or how they would be when he came out of the other side.

Yuri refused to give up, though, but for now, he wouldn't worry about it. He was here to prove something. _He_ was the best skater in Russia now. Ever since Viktor announced his return a few weeks back, he was an afterthought. He would prove them wrong. He was the Grand Prix Final Champion because Viktor had taken the first part the season off because he fell in love. Whatever, that was stupid to risk the end of your career for that. That was his mistake. Yuri would show them. He would show all of them.

Yuri saw Viktor come back, talking to Yakov about his skate. He didn't care how he had done. It had nothing to do with what he needed to do. Then, Viktor went off to talk to reporters, because _of course_. The blond went back into zone. He had a lot to prove, and he was here to show that his win at the Grand Prix Final was _not_ a fluke. Soon, it was time to start, and he got into position outside the rink as the skater before him came off. He handed his headphones to Yakov, took off his skate guards, and got on the ice as the scores were announced.

After a few more words from Yakov, Yuri heard his name being announced. He skated onto center ice and got into position for his _Agape_ program. He could say one thing about Viktor, though - the man was a damn good choreographer. As he skated, he didn't think the program was on par with what he had done before, but that program had been better than perfect. All in all, as he finished the program, he was satisfied and threw his arms up in the arm in excitement. He bowed to the crowd, before skating off to Yakov.

"Good job, Yura," his coach said as Yuri put on his skate guards. "You could -"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he said. "I know it wasn't as good as at the Grand Prix Final. I know that."

They walked over to the Kiss and Cry, and sat down to wait for the scores. Luckily, he didn't have to wait long. "The scores please, for Yuri Plisetsky. The short program score - 114.39. He is currently in first place." For a moment, he couldn't believe he heard right, but as the standings came up, he saw for himself. Viktor was in second, about ten points behind, followed by about five points back by Georgi.

He was in the lead at Russian Nationals. One down, one to go.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

The press conference had been filled with questions for Viktor and Yurio. Viktor's questions were to be expected. How did it feel being in first place after dominating for so long? What was his plans for the free program tomorrow, which was also on his birthday? Viktor responded positively that he was happy with how he skated and it had been his first competition for the season. In truth, he was a bit miffed. He had done well, well enough, anyway. It wasn't as good as he _could_ do, as shown by the fact that it was about eleven points shy of his personal best. He just said that his goals was Worlds.

He was also asked questions about Yuuri - how were they going to deal with him coming back to competition? How was he going to do both coaching _and_ competing? Were any of the rumors about them being engaged/married true? Viktor dodged the last question, of course. He and Yuuri had agreed not to say anything about their engagement yet, and he certainly wasn't going to do so during a press conference. The others he answered simply - they would make it work, and he would find a way to do both, but they couldn't deal with that until after Nationals when he moved to St. Petersburg.

Yurio's questions had been… varied, to say the least. He had been asked questions about how did he plan to attack the free skate? How did it feel to be in the lead over the reigning 11-time Champion? Did he think he could stay there? How did he feel this set him up for Europeans and Worlds? Yurio was all confidence, of course. He just said that he was not surprised, as he had won the Grand Prix Final. It was not a fluke, and he had proved that. He would prove it even more in the free when he won his first National title.

Georgi was largely ignored, unfortunately, as all the attention went on to the "Legend" and the young star. He seemed resigned, despite having placed second or third for the past _six years_. That was a good accomplishment, and Viktor felt bad that it wasn't recognized. It was his birthday coming up, too, but no one mentioned that, either. Viktor just praised both Georgi and Yurio, saying how well both of them had done before the press conference ended and he was free to go and call his fiance.

"Yuuri! You are still up!" Viktor exclaimed as he heard Yuuri's voice on the other line as he was back in the safety of his hotel room. He was glad because he wasn't sure what he would do if he didn't get to hear his love's voice.

"Of course, I had to talk to you tonight," he said. "You did well tonight."

"I'm in second." It had been a long time since he had been in anything other than first place, and yes, he'd be lying if he didn't admit to himself that it stung, just a little bit. "But yes, I was not bad. What did you get for your skate order?"

"Twenty-second. Final group, third skater, right in between Sato Daichi and Tanaka Takahiro," Yuuri said. "I'm good, as long as it's not first it's fine with me."

Viktor paused for a minute, before asking something. He didn't want to pressure Yuuri in any way, but he had to ask. "Yuuri, can I announce that we're engaged? People on social media - fans, you know - have been asking - some think we are, some think we got married already, and others think that we're not at all," Viktor said, hoping to fully explain himself before his fiance had a chance to answer. "I've been dying to answer them, but you said you wanted to keep it just between us for a bit. I understand that I do, but… I want to yell it from the rooftops! We can wait more if you want, but… please?"

There was only a moment's hesitation from Yuuri. "It's fine with me. Go ahead. It's about time we told the world. Besides, they'll find out eventually anyway."

Viktor was thrilled and made plans to immediately do as soon as Yuuri went to sleep. "Thank you! I will do it tonight, but only if you're sure." The last thing he wanted was to scare him, not now when everything was going so well.

"I'm sure. Tell the world." He could almost hear the smile in Yuuri's voice.

"Great! Now, you need to go to bed; you need your rest. Want me to call you on Skype and stay with you until you fall asleep?"

"Please, I'd love that."

After Yuuri had fallen asleep, he immediately went on Twitter and posted: _I've decided to answer all the inquiries as to the status of Yuuri and I's relationship. Yes, we are engaged. katsuki-yuuri #engaged #fiance_. Then, he checked the results for the other two disciplines at Russian Nationals - Pairs and Dance. In pairs, reigning two-time champions, Ekaterina Vasiliyeva and Dmitri Sedov were in the lead over a young, up and coming pair, Elena Shirokova and Artur Antonov. A veteran pair, Ksenia Yurasova and Yarsoslav Vasiliev were in third.

In Dance, in a bit of a surprise, Elizaveta Yakushina and Denis Portnov, who were a rising pair, were in the lead over four-time Champions, Anna Zhirova (who happened to be Georgi's ex) and Alexander Glukhov. Irina Frolova and Mikhail Nikolaev, another rising pair, were in third.

After that, Viktor settled down for the night. Tomorrow - the free skate.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Yuuri woke up the next day unsure of how he was feeling - and bombarded with notifications on Twitter. Viktor wasn't in first place, though he wasn't sure he disagreed with the scores. It was just… odd. Yurio had done great, though, and deserved to be in first place. Viktor had also announced their engagement on Twitter, tagging him in the tweet. Checking it briefly, he saw a bombardment of "so lucky" and "congrats" to both of them, some using the hashtag #relationshipgoals.

Yuuri couldn't concentrate on that, or worry about how Viktor was going to do - though, of course, he was thinking about it. He had to worry about his own competition, and he was sure about one thing - he wanted to win. After morning practice, he rested until it was time for the rink. He knew when he skated, but he was trying to not pay attention to anything or anyone else.

Celestino was being as supportive as possible, trying to keep Yuuri focused. So, far it was working. He guessed. It felt weird not having Viktor here at a competition, but in a way, it did help having Celestino around. At least he knew him, so Yuuri didn't have to explain himself so much. He had a job to do, and that was win back his National title. Therefore, Yuuri just stayed in his zone, warming up, listening to music, and not paying attention to anything or anyone around him.

Men's was not the first competition of the day, though. Dance and Pairs had taken place, Japan's two weakest events. Dance had been first. Reigning seven-time Champion, Brendan Cross, had was first with his new partner, Morita Kanako. His former partner, his sister, had retired. The five-time silver medalists, Ito Umiko and Damien Arceneau, were in second, followed a little ways behind by Hirata Setsuko and Eguchi Kuro. The only other team, Nagata Amaya and Teshima Yoshiro, was a very distant fourth.

Junior Pairs was held consecutively with the senior competition. There were only two pairs - Okada Sora / Hashimoto Akira, who were in the lead and Takata Hikaru and Takata Itsuki, who were in a distant second. In the Senior competition, Ishikawa Ami and Romain Fortier, a rising pair, were in the lead. The previous two-time champions had not gelled as a pair and had split up. They were in second and third with their new partners. Fukui Sakiko was now teamed with Matthew North, and they were in second. Shimizu Takeshi was in third with his new partner, Akiyama Masumi.

That left the men's competition.

Yuuri stayed in the zone, only taking out his headphones and handing them to Celestino before his warm up group was scheduled to go on. They had come up with a plan, and as he skated around, he practiced a couple of jumps and some footwork before the warm up ended. Since he didn't skate until third, he put the headphones back in and went back once more to stay warmed up. It went very quickly, though, and before he knew it, Sato was waiting for his scores, and he was on the ice again.

"Now, Yuuri, remember, don't worry about that. It doesn't matter what he did," Celestino told him. "You're the Grand Prix Final Silver medalist. Remember that." The scores were announced. Yuuri nodded. "You can do this Yuuri. You've done this twice before, remember, and you're a different skater now."

That's right. He was. He had Viktor now. "Ladies and gentleman, our next skater…. Katsuki Yuuri-san!" He skated out to center ice, and got into position, giving a kiss to his ring, the one he shared with Viktor. He tried to remember what Viktor always told him, what Celestino had just told him. The performance, while he stayed on his feet, was a bit shaky. He was sure that his Quad Flip was downgraded, he thought to himself as he took his bows to the roaring of the crowd before heading back off the ice.

"That was good, Yuuri!"

"I've done better," Yuuri instantly replied as he put on his skate guards.

"Enjoy it, Yuuri, you did well," Celestino said, putting a hand on his shoulder as they walked over to the Kiss and Cry to sit down. Celestino was right, and he knew that he didn't need to be perfect in order to win here.

They only had to wait a minute before the announcer's voice came back on. "The scores, please for Katsuki Yuuri-san. The short program score - 103.27. He is currently in first place!" Yuuri looked up to see the standings, but without his glasses, he couldn't see shit.

"Good job, Yuuri!" Celestino said as they went backstage. Yuuri went to do some interviews with some reporters before getting his glasses and going to the nearest screen so he could finish watching the competition. Tanaka Takahiro had skated and was waiting for his scores. He had been a very talented skater until he had gotten injured about seven or eight years ago. It had taken him out of competition for the 2009 - 2010 Olympic season. He had never been quite the same since. They were on pleasant terms and familiar with one another, as Tanaka was only two years older than him.

Tanaka must have done well, as he scored higher than he had ever seen him - a 90.21, easily putting him into second place over a skater named Yamada Souta. Himura Daisuke skated next. He had known Dai-kun for years, as he was only a year younger than Yuuri himself, so they had competed against each other for a long time. He had been a promising junior skater but had stagnated a bit as he had gotten older. He always seemed to have fun, though. Daisuke-kun scored a personal best score of 85.33, and he seemed pleased and was now in third place.

After that, there was only skater left - Minami. He skated extremely well, at least for him, and scored a personal best score of 75.82, but it only left in fifth place. He seemed rather pleased, though. After that, Yuuri headed back down and for the press conference. He wanted to hurry up and get this over with because he wanted to get back to the hotel room so he could catch up on Russian Nationals - and Viktor. He had sent him birthday wishes this morning, and he hoped he did well today.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Viktor had texted Yuuri immediately saying how well he'd done. It wasn't perfect, and they both knew it, but it was good. He had thirteen points over Tanaka - who posed no real threat - so it was a good position to be in. Perfection could wait until later, at Worlds. For now, the goal was to gain back his National title. They would work out the kinks in his program later when they were back together again.

The women's short had program had come first today. Mila had skated a season's best but still trailed the shining newcomer, Tatiyana Demidova. She was in second right now as she quested for her second National title. In third was a young fourteen-year-old named Viktora Nasanova, who was not yet old enough for senior competition. Alexandra, their rinkmate, was in seventh. She had skated well, at least for her, but with the strength of the Russian ladies right now, she was out of contention for the podium. She hadn't landed on the podium in four years, and it didn't look like this was going to be it for her, either.

That left the men's competition, which was really what most people were talking about. Viktor, as usual, never showed outwardly what he was thinking. Could he win? Yes, even with a ten point deficit, he could win. He had higher technical content than Yurio, but his artistic scores were no longer high enough to make up for any mistakes. Viktor would need to be perfect - or to have Yurio make a mistake (or two) - in order to beat him. He couldn't worry about Yurio, though.

Viktor stayed mostly by himself until it was time for their warm up group to go on. The current leader was the young skater, Ivanov, coming off his Junior Grand Prix Final win with a personal best. He did his warm-ups, practicing a couple of his Quads before skating off the ice, putting on his skate guards and going into the back again to stay warm. He skated second-to-last, so he had four skaters to go until it was his turn. He got into position to go on the ice as Georgi did his bows and headed off. It was Viktor's turn to get on then as Georgi waited for his scores. Georgi scored very well, a personal best score of 190.27. Yakov told Viktor to go out there and skate clean. He didn't need to be told that, as he knew exactly what he needed to do. They both knew realistically it might not be enough, but as every figure skater knew - you couldn't control what anyone else did, only yourself. It wasn't about this competition, but Europeans and Worlds.

Viktor's costume for his free skate was black pants with a hunter green shirt, with some beading all through the top. He knew his free skate wasn't perfect, and it need a bit more tweaking, but he wasn't completely dissatisfied with how he skated. It was good; it was fine - just not great or up to his usual standards. "Vitya," Yakov told him as he got off the ice, "you -"

"Yes, I know. It needs work." He turned away, and headed to the Kiss and Cry as Yakov stayed at the boards with Lilia for Yurio, who skated last.

Viktor had to wait a minute for his score before the announcer's voice came on. "The scores please for Viktor Nikiforov. The free program score - 211.63. This is a season's best. The total score is 316.27." It was a good score. He was satisfied with it. He is currently in first place." Yes, but for now how long? The current standings were him, then Georgi, and then Yevtushenko. Viktor yelled out good luck to Yurio, before heading backstage to await Yurio's scores.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Yuri heard the score - it was hard not to. It was higher than anything he had ever done, higher than his personal best at the Grand Prix Final. _I made a mistake there. I just need to be clean here, and I can beat him. I had a lead. I don't even need to be clean!_ Yuri thought to himself as he began his program to the cheers of the crowd. He knew what he wanted - he wanted to be the National Champion, to be the first person in almost _six years_ to beat Viktor, to dethrone him. He would do it. He _could_ do it, and no one was going to stop him. No one could stop him but himself, and he wasn't going to let that happen.

As Yuri skated, he was happy with how he was skating - he stayed in character, of course, but it was clean. This was his best program yet! He didn't even need to skate cleanly, but fuck, if he could, it would be a huge statement to the rest of the world to _watch out for him._ Grand Prix Final Champion, youngest in history? Yes, please. Russian National Champion, ahead even of Viktor? Yes, but this wasn't about Viktor. This was about him, and what he wanted - what he could do, and he wanted this more than anything he had ever wanted in his life.

As he ended the program, Yuri thrusted his fists up in the air, crying out in joy. He had done it. It was clean. He had won the competition - he knew that. He celebrated for a little bit before bowing and heading over to the Kiss and Cry. He couldn't stop smiling, and he couldn't remember being this happy before. He had been happy at winning the Grand Prix Final, but he was happier now. He could compete with the best. He _was_ the best.

Yakov enveloped him in a hug as they walked over to the Kiss and Cry. "That was great, Yurochka. You should be proud. You did very well today." Even Lilia looked emotional. He was, too. That was perfect, and it had felt so fucking good, too. The scores had come almost instantly. "The scores please for Yuri Plisetsky. The free program score - 211.96. This is a season's best for Yuri. The total score is 326.35. He is currently in first place." Yuri started celebrating again, cheering for the fact that he had _won._ He was the Russian National Champion. The final results were posted:

1\. Yuri Plisetsky - 326.35 2. Viktor Nikiforov - 316.27 3. Georgi Popovich - 290.13 4. Alexei Yevtushenko - 283.95 5. Sergei Ivanov - 279.74 6. Valentin Salkov - 258.51 7. Maxim Ivanov - 245.57

He had only won the free skate by .33, and that was being absolutely perfect. Viktor hadn't been, and Yuri knew Viktor well enough to know that he wouldn't make those mistakes again. Yuri had gotten lucky, and he would need to keep getting better if he wanted to stay on top. The fact of the matter was, though, that none of that was important right now. He had won, and nothing and no one could take this title away from him.

Yuri Plisetsky was the 2016 Russian National Champion.


	6. Chapter 6 - Back from Redemption

**A/n:** Kamiko Ikeda is an OC of my prereader, Lady Eve, and is used with permission.

 **Chapter 6 - Back from Redemption**

Viktor was a bit annoyed at losing. He hated losing, and he had lost to a skater who had only been _four years old_ when he had won his first title. Yes, it stung a bit - okay, more than a bit - but he congratulated Yurio along with everyone else. He deserved it. That didn't mean that the Viktor couldn't be a little annoyed by the situation, though. He accepted it, but that didn't mean that he had to like it. This was his first loss, after all, in almost six years.

That was what he was asked about during the press conference. How did it feel? Was he disappointed? How did this set him up going into Europeans? It was never-ending barrage and reminder that he had lost. He just kept repeating that the guard in figure skating was constantly changing and that the world had caught up with him. This was a good thing, and it was bound to happen sooner or later. He was proud of Yurio. Everyone had skated extremely well, even down to Ivanov. The future of Russian skating was bright. Viktor also said that this performance set him up very well for his next two competitions - Europeans and Worlds. This was true.

Yurio was very happy, as he should be. He talked about how only it was only up from here, and he was going to keep improving no matter what, and how it had nothing to do with Viktor. This was about him, and what he could do. Viktor silently gave him kudos for doing that, because he was right. It wasn't about him, and Yurio needed to stand up for himself when people kept comparing them. It was going to be a while before that happened, but if anyone could come out of his shadow, it would be Yurio.

When they left the press conference, Viktor had a message waiting from Yuuri. _Sorry you didn't win, but you did good! Call me later, yeah? Tell Yurio congratulations. Love you!_ He smiled at the text, quickly responding to it. _Thanks. A bit stung that I lost, but it can't be helped. Yes, I will call you when I get back to the hotel room._ With that, he turned to Yurio. "Yuuri says congratulations."

Yurio looked up at him. "Oh, well… tell him thanks."

Viktor smiled down at him. "I will when I talk to him later," he said. "You did extremely well. You should be very proud. Fifteen and already a National Champion. That's quite impressive."

"Yes, I suppose it is," Yurio said, a smile crossing his face. "Oh, Happy Birthday, by the way… old man."

Viktor grinned. "Thank you!" He ignored the old man comment because he knew that was just Yurio being Yurio.

Yurio stopped, reaching into his bag and grabbing an envelope. The young man held it out, his eyes not quite meeting Viktor's. "Here. For your birthday." Viktor was touched, truly and sincerely. He grabbed it and quickly opened it. It was a simple card, though Yurio had signed it himself. Inside was a gift card. Viktor looked up at him. "It's to the Japanese place near your apartment, you know, the one on the way home from the rink. I thought maybe you could take the Katsudon there. The food would probably be nowhere near as good as his mother's, but he might appreciate it."

"Aww, this is so sweet, thank you!" Viktor said, wrapping an arm around him to draw him into a hug.

Yurio instantly pushed him away. "Don't make it weird, seriously." After that, they caught a cab and headed back to to the hotel. As soon as Viktor got inside, he got comfortable, set his laptop up and called his fiance on Skype. A sleepy Yuuri answered, and Viktor smiled lovingly at him. They talked for a bit, Viktor reminding him that if he _needed_ him not to hesitate to call him. Yuuri agreed before drifting off. As always, Viktor stayed up until the was sure that he was asleep before closing Skype.

 _Good luck tomorrow, Yuuri…_

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Viktor wanted to watch the Pairs and Ladies - honestly, he did, but watching the ladies meant missing the men's at Japanese Nationals. Viktor would not miss his beloved Yuuri. Nonetheless, he was going to watch what he could. Last night, the Dance competition had ended. Anna Zhirova and Alexander Glukov had come up to win, which was not a surprise to most, with Elizaveta Yakushina and Denis Portnov slipping to second. What was a surprise was a young, rising pair named Malvina Adamovich and Nikolai Markov had placed second in the free to place third.

Late that morning, Viktor had run into Georgi and wished him a happy birthday. While they were talking, they ran into Yurio. The three of them ended up going for lunch, where Georgi told them about his new girlfriend, Darya. Apparently, they had met a market. She was a ballet dancer. He had almost literally run into her, but it ended up working out. They had gone out for coffee and ended up talking for hours. They hadn't stopped since. Viktor thought it sweet. Yurio had thought it was disgusting. After that, they had headed to the rink to watch the Pairs Final.

Ekaterina Vasiliyeva and Dmitri Sedov had dominated the competition, winning by over eleven points. Elena Shirokova and Artur Antonov managed to hold on to second with an extremely strong surge from Ksenia Yurasova and Yarsoslav Vasiliev. (Ekaterina and Yaroslav were not related in anyway, though Viktor used to wonder that himself before.) After that, he headed back to the hotel room, wishing Mila and Alexandra good luck. He had to watch Yuuri, though.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Yuuri wasn't sure how he felt right now. He was at the rink, warming up as he waited for his warm-up group. He had watched the Ladies competition earlier. Reigning Champion, Yamada Akane, was in the lead over a young, fourteen-year-old Matsushita Yuki and veteran Ikeda Kamiko. None of that distracted from what he had to do later, though, so he sat there, he just kept going over and over in his mind what he had to do. Just skate clean, just skate clean…. He didn't even have to stay on his feet. All he had to do was not make too many mistakes.

It didn't help. None of it helped. Celestino kept trying to give him pep talks, and tell him that he had done so well this season, but all he could think about was his free skate at Nationals last year. What if he did that again? What would Viktor think? _Viktor loves you, you moron_ , said a voice inside his head, but he didn't want to disappoint him. What would he do? He only had thirteen points over Tanaka. He could make a few mistakes, but a meltdown and he would be in the lead.

All of a sudden, a phone was shoved in front of his face. He looked over to see the serious face of his former coach, Celestino. "Call him." Yuuri opened his mouth to protest that he wanted to prove that he could handle this, but Celestino cut him off. "He's your coach. Not me. I'm only doing you a favor. He's also your fiance. Now _call him_."

Yuuri grabbed his phone out of Celestino's hand, quickly called Viktor. "Yuuri! How are you doing? Are you okay?" He must have assumed that he called him because he needed him. He would be right about that.

"I - I'm okay. I just… I needed you."

"What's wrong?" Viktor sounded worried now, and Yuuri felt bad for even calling him.

"I just - what if I have a repeat of last year, what if I can't do it, what if -" He felt his pulse quicken, his palms get sweaty, and he felt as if the world was falling down around him.

"Yuuri, stop," Viktor said gently. When Yuuri didn't respond, he continued. "Listen, you are fantastic. You broke my world record, and just because you're not perfect today doesn't mean you are any less of a great skater. Even if you lose, it doesn't matter. I know you want to win, and I know you can do it. I believe in you no matter what."

Yuuri nodded, Viktor's words and voice slowly calming him down. "No matter what."

"Of course, _lyubov moya,_ " Viktor said. "I love you, more than you know."

Yuuri took a long slow breath, allowing his pulse to return to normal. "I love you, too." After that, they said their goodbyes, and he put his phone back in his bag. "Thank you," he said, turning to Celestino.

"Of course, he told me to make you call him if I had to." Celestino smiled at him. "Now keep warming up, your warm up group goes on the ice soon." He was right, and it seemed like no time at all, he was going on the ice with the rest of the final six. He kept the world tuned out, despite the fact that he had given his headphones to Celestino. After the warm up, he continued listening to music and staying in the zone. He remembered everything Viktor had taught him.

Before long, he was standing on the side of the rink, then going on the ice while Tanaka waited for his scores. They were high - 185.72, for a total score of 275.93. It was the highest he had ever scored. He was happy for him, but he had a job to do - and letting Tanaka win was _not_ it. "Ladies and gentleman, on the ice… Katsuki Yuuri-san!"

To be quite frank, Yuuri could have skated better. This was not a world record skate, but it was good, better than good. If he hadn't missed that combination because he had been so worried about the Quad Flip - which had been clean by the way - he would have been pretty damn close. At least he thought so. "That was good, Yuuri!" Celestino told him as he skated off to the Kiss and Cry after his bows. "Not perfect, but very good!"

Yuuri smiled at him. "Thanks." He felt good that he had worked through his anxiety. It would never go away, and this had been mild compared to others he had in the past. They would never go away, but maybe with Viktor, he could do it. Together, Yuuri realized that they could accomplish anything.

"The score, please, for Katsuki Yuuri-san. The short program score - 215.37." The crowd's screams of joy were absolutely deafening that Yuuri could barely hear the rest as Celestino patted him on the shoulder. "The total score is 318.64. He is currently in first place." That was close to what he had scored at the Grand Prix Final. He could do this, just maybe… he could. Yuuri could only think about one thing right now, though - he had gotten his National title back. He was now, officially, a three-time National Champion of Japan.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Yuuri got a call from Viktor right away, gushing about how proud he was. "It wasn't perfect. I can do better. I _will_ do better." It meant the world to him that he had made Viktor proud, though, and the older man assured him that they would work on anything that needed to be worked on they were together again. The important thing was to enjoy his win. He _won,_ and it was okay to be happy about that despite any mistakes that he may have made. "I promise, I will. I _am_ happy." It felt damn good to have his title back, too. He didn't plan on letting it go again, either.

After that, he had to head to the press conference. He hugged Celestino and thanked for helping him out. His old coach said that he was welcome before Yuuri headed off to the press conference. Tanaka was on one side, and Daisuke-kun on the other. It felt good, and to be sitting in the middle was a bit surreal. He _never_ sat in the middle at a press conference. On occasion he was in one, he was always to one side or the other. (Maybe he shouldn't say never, because obviously, it did happen and since he had won Nationals before, it had happened before, too.)

Yuuri was asked questions about how it felt to win his title back? "It feels really good," Yuuri said, trying to keep the smile on his face to a minimum. "I wanted to win, I came here to win, and I'm glad that I did that." After his silver at the GPF, and winning his third National title, how was he going to use it to prepare for Four Continents and Worlds? What were his plans? That was a bit of a tricker question because of course, he wanted to win!

"I want to win, of course, but the only thing I can control is myself," he said. "I'm learning that, and I'm just going to try and do what I did today, and keep improving. I will be satisfied with whatever placement I get as long as I do that." Well, or he would try at least. He did want to win, but there's no way to predict what would happen with the other skaters. That's what he had been trying to learn, and he was going to try and apply that as much as possible.

Both Tanaka and Daisuke were asked about getting back on the podium after their injuries last year, and skating personal bests. Both responded positively about wanting to do well at Four Continents (since neither would be going to Worlds as there was only one spot.) Tanaka made a joke about how Yuuri better win back at least one more spot so someone else could go to Worlds next year. Yuuri just laughed along with everyone else and said that he would try his best to do so. After that, Yuuri wanted to go back to his hotel room. He needed to talk to Viktor.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Viktor was so proud of Yuuri! He had had a rough year, but he had overcome it, and now he was once again National Champion! It was a good feeling. He knew it well. That is until Viktor remembered that he had lost his to Yurio. That still stung, and probably would until he won it back next year. _Next year…_ Would he still be around next year? He wasn't sure at this point if he wanted to continue competing next year. Only time would tell, of course. He didn't have to decide that right now anyway. He wanted to see how the rest of this season went before he decided when/if he was going to retire or not.

Viktor _did_ check on the results of the ladies event at Russian Nationals, though. Mila lost. She performed very well, but Tatiyana was better and won her first National title. Mila had to settle for silver, while another young skater, Anna Goreva had a great free skate and come up from fourth to finish third. Svetlana Nenasheva, who had been third, fell to fifth. Alexandra had done well, at least for her, and had come up one spot to finish sixth, but it was still the end of her season. There was the still the Russian Cup, a domestic competition that was considered a qualification for Worlds, but that would be it for her. Russian Nationals was officially over.

Viktor grinned widely as he saw the Skype notification pop up, saying that Yuuri was calling. He clicked on it as fast as he could, and there was the face of his loving fiance. "Yuuri! How is my National Champion? Congrats on winning!"

Yuuri smiled at him, laying on his side on the hotel bed. "I'm good, tired and happy but good," he said. "And thank you. I'm sorry you didn't win, though."

Viktor just shrugged. He had learned a long time ago that he couldn't help things like that. "It's not the first time I've lost," he said. "It's just been a while that's all." Seeing the worried look on Yuuri's face, Viktor continued. "I'm not saying that it doesn't sting because it does. It's annoying, and I _hate_ it. I want to win. Yurio can have my National title, though, but I'm not going to give up my European title without a fight." Yuuri smiled back at him. They made promises for when they saw each other again before Yuuri went to sleep. Viktor stayed up until he was sure he was asleep before shutting off Skype and going to bed himself.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Yuuri woke up the next morning, unsure of yesterday really happened or not. No, it had. He had won back his national title. There was only a few more days until he and Viktor would be back together. For now, the last day of Japanese Nationals was here as well as the Exhibition Gala for Russian Nationals. He wanted to watch as much of Nationals as possible, support the the other skaters. However, supporting Viktor was more important, and he was _dying_ to know what he was using for his Exhibition skate. The man had refused to tell him, just like he had refused to tell him about his costume, which of course had been gorgeous.

Yuuri had figured it out, though. He could watch pairs and dance, but he would have to miss the second half of the ladies to make sure he saw Viktor. He had lunch before making his way to the rink. Kanako Morita and Brendan Cross had won the Dance title with a 149.68. Ito Umiko and Damien Arceneau placed second with a 139.28. Hirata Setsuko and Eguchi Kuro rounded out the podium with a distant 116.25, while the only other pair, Nagata Amaya and Teshima Yoshiro were an extremely distant fourth with a 76.42.

There were only two Junior Pairs, with Okada Sora and Hashimoto Akira winning the title with a 115.93, and Takata Hikaru and Takata Itsuki taking a very distant silver with a 76.50. In the Senior Pairs, Ishikawa Ami and Romain Fortier won the title with a 155.71. Fukui Sakiko and Matthew North were second with a 133.44, while Akiyama Masumi and Shimizu Takeshi were a distant third with a 105.64. After that, there was a break before the ladies competition started. Yuuri watched have of it before excusing himself and heading back to his hotel room.

The Gala was already half over, but luckily, he hadn't missed Viktor. The announcer listed a long list of his accomplishments, before ending it with the silver medal he had won. He was wearing a maroon button-up shirt, with beading around the edges, the collar, and all along the buttons down the front. It looked great on him, but then again, everything did. As the familiar, haunting somber notes started playing, Yuuri knew what it was before the lyrics started. " _I've seen the world, done it all, had my cake now…"_ He had heard a rumor of Viktor wanting to skate to it. Apparently, that was true.

The skate was great, no sign of Viktor not having choreography to this before he skated - at least nothing concrete that he planned. He made a note to talk to his fiance later, before getting a feed up to watch the ladies competition. Yamada Akane had won the ladies competition. Ikeda Kamiko had come up with a great skate to finish second. Matsushita Yuki, too young for Four Continents and Worlds, fell to third. The last spot at Four Continents and Worlds was likely to go to fourth-place finisher, Hashimoto Sachi.

That meant Japanese Nationals was over. All that was left was the Gala and the banquet tomorrow night, and then… he could go to Viktor.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Yuuri almost skipped the banquet but ended up not doing so. He had a good chat with Kamiko-chan and Daisuke-kun, both of whom congratulated him. They talked for a bit, including about Yuuri moving to St. Petersburg. It was nice to have people here that he knew, but he was glad when it was over. He talked to Viktor that night when his plane landed, though it was very late in Japan, so the conversation was brief. The next morning, he had an early flight, and he was off to St. Petersburg, well, after a seventeen-hour flight.

Upon landing, he immediately looked for Viktor. No, his fiance had told him that he would meet him outside of security. The line was long, but as soon he got through the secure area - there he was. Yuuri's heart immediately started beating faster, filling with a longing before that he didn't even know he could feel. He saw the same longing echoed on Viktor's face. Ignoring the people around him, he started running towards him. Viktor opened up his arms as Yuuri threw himself into his fiance's waiting embrace. He didn't have a chance to think before Viktor's lips found his, and soon, they were kissing hungrily, desperately, almost as if they hadn't seen each other in months or years as opposed to weeks.

It seemed like forever before Viktor slowly broke the kiss, moving his lips off of Yuuri's so slowly that the Japanese man moved his lips forward, hoping to catch them. Viktor rested his forehead against Yuuri's, a small smile playing across his lips as he felt Viktor's arms tighten around him. "My Yuuri," he said. "I've missed you so much."

"I missed you, too," Yuuri said, as Viktor leaned forward and kissed him again. He felt himself melt into the kiss, even as the weeks of inconsistent sleep started to take its toll. He had been running on adrenaline, he supposed, but now it was all gone. The kiss didn't last long, and Viktor pulled back.

"Let's go get your luggage and go home."

Home…

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Yuuri was exhausted by the time they got back to Viktor's flat. As soon as the door opened, Makkachin nearly knocked him over. He chuckled. "I missed you, too." Then, he took a look around the flat before Viktor closed the door behind him. He insisted on showing him around. First, there was the open living room-kitchen-dining room. The living room had a large purple couch. Viktor had replaced the couch and chair that he had left in their room in Hasetsu with ones that looked very similar, both set perpendicular. There was a fireplace at the front of the living room, with a TV put on top. On both walls were bookcases, filled with books. There was a desk off in the corner. There was also a door leading out to a small patio, that looked to have a small table with a couple of chairs on it.

On the other side of the area was a large dining room table. A large stainless steel island lead into the kitchen, which was all stainless steel. The style fit Viktor, all modern and expensive and stylish. The one thing he noticed was that there were no personal items. There were only plants and no pictures, only pictures of places, not people. It was a bit odd, but Yuuri let him show him around. To be honest, he was nervous. He kept wringing his hands together, thinking over and over again that this felt different. It wasn't like when Viktor had showed up at his family's onsen. This felt like it was making things even more official. Not to mention the fact that he spoke next to no Russian, and was now living here.

"You're so nervous, _lyubov moya_ ," Viktor said, wrapping an arm around him after they had finished looking at the guest bath - modern and upscale like the rest of the house, with a nice walk-in shower, making the room look bigger than it actually was. "You seem more nervous than Yurio was when he moved here, and he was ten, and _alone_." The Russian smile down at him. "Oh, and by the way," he said, opening up the next room. "This is his room."

Yuuri looked up at him in a bit of surprise. "You have a room for him?" The room was good sized, with a nice bed, a dresser, and a desk. There was a tiger plushie in the middle of the bed.

"Yes, I let him hang around as often as he wants to," Viktor said. "Don't tell him, but I actually like having him around. He doesn't really have anyone here either, and he's still young, so I don't mind. Besides, I understand how he feels."

As they closed the door, Yuuri had to ask. "What about his family?"

"Yurio never knew his father. In fact, I'm not even sure that his mother, Nataliya, even knows who it was for sure. She was so young that it probably didn't matter. She's only about five or six years older than me," Viktor explained. "They don't have a good relationship. He's close to his grandfather, but he's in Moscow. They both know that Yakov and I keep an eye on him."

Yuuri thought it was sweet that Viktor did all this for Yurio. "So, he spends the night? How often?" He hadn't realized they were so close, but he supposed Viktor wouldn't have mentioned it while he was living in Japan. It didn't matter then, but it gave another dimension to Yurio's anger.

"Whenever he wants, really," he said. "Usually every couple of weeks or so. I gave him a key years ago, so he can get in and out whenever he needs to. I wanted to make sure that he had a place to go if ever needed it. Speaking of keys…" Viktor reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, gold key. "Your key to the apartment." Yuuri smiled up at him as they went into the master bedroom - _their bedroom._

It was large, with a huge bed up against the far wall against the window. There was a dresser, and a couple of chairs with a table and a lamp. Next was a large walk-in closet where Viktor had made plenty of room for him, as he had in the dresser. The next was the master bath, with a large tub big enough for two and a walk-in shower. After that, Yuuri got changed for bed as Viktor told him that Chris had gotten him a stripper pole for his birthday, with a note saying that his fiance would find it useful. Yuuri just blushed furiously and refused to respond to that. He got Viktor's birthday present out, holding it out to him before carefully gave it to him.

"You didn't have to!" Viktor exclaimed as he opened it.

"Yes, I did, and I know it's late, but I wanted to get you something."

Viktor opened the present to find a two-sided picture frame. "I remember this day!" Viktor said, looking at the first frame. Both were candid pictures. "Who took this?"

"My mom, she thought we were cute, and took pictures of us," Yuuri explained. "I liked these two." The first one was from before the Cup of China. He remembered that day. He and Viktor had just finished eating, and Viktor had wrapped his arm around him and pulled him close. They had been getting closer at that point in their relationship. He was looking up at the Viktor in the picture and smiling as Viktor smiled down at him.

In the second picture, they had their first snowfall of the season, and it had only been taken a couple of weeks before the Grand Prix Final. He and Viktor had gone out to shovel. One of them had slipped - Yuuri couldn't remember who now - and had ended up kissing. In the picture, Yuuri was on his back in a place where they had just finished shoveling. Viktor was laying half on top of him as they kissed.

"I love it!" Viktor exclaimed, leaning over to kiss him as they sat on his bed. Viktor then reached over and grabbed a present from underneath the bed. "Merry Christmas."

Yuuri looked up at Viktor in shock as he took the present. "I thought you said that Russians don't celebrate Christmas like other countries."

"We don't. Our Christmas isn't until the 7th, but you, _lybuov moya,_ are not Russian," Viktor said, giving him a quick kiss.

"Thank you," he said, knowing that there would be other cultural differences for them to work through, but at least for the first step, things were going well. He opened it up to find a long, thick silver scarf with blue edging. "I love it!"

"It gets cold here in Russia in the winter, colder than you are used to," Viktor said. "I wanted to get you something to help you keep you warm, and of course, think of me when you wear it." Yuuri kissed him before they laid down in bed. Yuuri curled up against him as Viktor wrapped his arms around him. He was home, and home wasn't a place, but a person - Viktor.

"Viktor, I noticed something," Yuuri said, glancing up at the pictures of the two of them that Viktor had just set on the bedside table. "There's no… people in your apartment. The only pictures are just of places."

"I never had anyone worth putting up on these walls," Viktor said, smiling down at him. Yuuri kissed him, before laying his head against his chest. For the first in time weeks, he knew he was going to sleep well, and all the way through the night. And sleep well he did, but he woke up the next morning alone. Curling up, he was sure that yesterday had been a sick dream. That is until he felt a pair of long, elegant fingers slowly playing with his hair, and an accented voice saying, "It's time to wake up, beautiful." Slowly, Yuuri opened his eyes and looked up to see Viktor's smiling face. "Good morning. It's time to get up. Get something to eat while I get ready, okay?"

Yuuri slowly got ready and got dressed before getting some pastries that Viktor had brought and some coffee. It wasn't until Viktor came out fully dressed that he realized he wasn't ready. "I'm not done, hold on, I'll eat quickly and -"

Viktor kissed him on his forehead. "No, don't worry about it. Take your time. We'll have plenty of mornings together, a lifetime of them, in fact. I am going to go meet up with Yurio, okay? Come up and meet up with us when you're ready. Remember the directions to the bridge I told you about the other day?" Yuuri thought for a moment before nodding. "Good, then meet us there." He kissed him. "Call me if you need to, remember!" With that, Viktor left. Yuuri finished eating before getting ready and then leaving himself.

Yuuri remembered the directions well, but nonetheless, he was glad to see Viktor and Yurio standing on the bridge. He smiled at them as he ran towards them. Viktor turned to him and smiled as Yurio leaned up against the bridge. Yuuri kept running as they both got closer. While this move may not be easy on either of them, he knew that he and Viktor would make it through. Everything would be fine. No matter, they would do it _together._

 **TO BE CONTINUED IN  
** **CONTINUATION ON ICE**

 **A/n:** Yes, I am planning a sequel series! The first chapter is nearly done. Thanks to my reviewers!

 **Edit:** The first part is finally up on archiveofourown: works/12933579 - due to the rating it will only be there.


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